Jaclyn Cross on the Jolly Roger
by The-Moon-Brained-Sister
Summary: What do you get when you put a girl with a troubled past, a pirate captain with a loving heart underneath, and a flying boy with a superiority complex together on one island? Read this to find out! HookOC! i'm sorry its been so long! ch. 14 has come!
1. Into Neverland

"Order up!"

Jaclyn Cross quickly grabs the plate sitting on the counter and walks out into the loud and raucous atmosphere inside the main eating area of the restaurant she works in with a smile on her face. At the sight of the people she's supposed to serve, however, her lips immediately curve downward into a sour frown. Sitting in a large cluster at a booth in the corner is what appears to be a pre-planned gathering of the two groups of people she hates most in the world.

'Jocks and cheerleaders,' she thinks in despair. 'Those two cliques seem to be bound by some sort of magnetism that unpopular kids can't feel.' Pasting a fake smile to her face, she walks over to the table and set the plates down, turning around and trying to escape as fast as she can. Unfortunately a strong male hand reaches out and latches onto her arm, preventing her retreat.

Gritting her teeth, she turns around to face the owner of the hand and finds herself looking down at the grinning face of her school's star quarterback, Garret Barber. Gently reaching down with her free hand, Jaclyn pries his fingers off of her arm and pulls out the pad that she uses to write down orders.

"Can I get you anything else?" she says, her cheerful manner more forced than ever. Garret nudges his friends in the ribs, obviously noticing Jaclyn's anger.

"Are you on the menu?" He chuckles, reaching out his hand again.

"If you like your hand still attached to your body, I'd suggest you keep it at your side and away from me," Jaclyn grits out, using all of her self control to keep herself from grabbing him and throwing him out the window which, thanks to her self-defense classes, she can now do.

Garret pulls back his hand and grins, turning to his friends and pasting a look of terror on his face. "Ooh, I think she's mad at me guys. Maybe I should lay off, huh? She could really hurt me." His friends laugh, and one of the cheerleaders turns to Jaclyn with a smug look on her face and shoves her plate away.

"Hey, can I have something that doesn't look like it's been out on the counter for weeks, please?" Jaclyn looks down at the cheerleader's plate, but doesn't see anything but perfectly edible food. She picks it up and nods.

"I take it that means you'll want another meal?" The girl nods, scanning the menu and finally pointing to a garden salad.

"At least this will have some color besides gray," she snickers, turning to her friends with a grin.

Jaclyn writes down the order and says, "okay, so I'll add one salad to your tab and—"

"Excuse me?" The cheerleader asks, her lips parted slightly in a look of disbelief. "I thought I just heard you say that I would have to pay for both meals."

Jaclyn nods. "I'm sorry, but I'm not allowed to offer a discount unless there is something wrong with the food, and seeing as there's nothing visibly wrong, you'll just have to pay for both meals."

The girl sputters, her mouth opening and closing in shock. "I refuse to pay for that slop! Take it off the tab now!"

Jaclyn glares at her, and clenches her fists without thinking. The girl notices and smiles cruelly. "Are you going to hit me, Jaclyn? I wouldn't. After all, the money you earn here is the only thing keeping your family out onto the streets like the tramps they are, right?"

Jaclyn's vision blurs with anger, and the pencil in her hand snaps. However, just as she jumps at her, there's a loud tearing sound and a large hole in the air opens in front of her. She screams in fear as she tumbles through it, and as behind her the hole closes, sealing her in a dark tunnel with no end in sight.


	2. Meet the Captain

Eventually she sees a bright white circle that signifies the end of the tunnel and squints as it fills the void with intense sunshine. Holding back a shriek, she falls out of the blackness of the void and hits a hard wooden surface. Bending her legs as she hits to absorb the impact, she looks around cautiously.

'Okay, so I've just fallen through a black void that popped up in the restaurant and landed in an as of yet unknown location with no way to get back. Great.' As she looks around she sees that she's standing in what appears to be a large wooden bucket with a tall pole rising out of it. Peering over the edge of the "bucket", she gasps at the sight of the deck of a ship some thirty feet below her.

Taking a deep breath, she leans back against the mast, (formerly known as the 'tall pole' rising out of the 'bucket), pressing the back of her head against the hard wood. Her gaze follows the mast upwards and she stifles a shriek with her hand at the sight of the black flag on the top of the mast flapping in the breeze.

'Pirates?!' Her mind temporarily goes on hiatus at the sight of the pirate flag atop the mast of the ship, and she slides downwards to sit on the floor of the crow's nest with a thump.

While she sits in a shock-induced stupor, one of the crew below looks up at the sound of the thump and, seeing nothing, stealthily begins to climb the rigging towards the crow's nest. Eventually he's level with the nest and his eyes widen in surprise at the sight of the girl sitting in it with her back up against the mast.

He immediately leaps into the crow's nest with a loud thump, waking Jaclyn from her reverie. He wraps one strong arm around her and shouts down to the crew, "We've got us a stowaway, mates!"

Jaclyn strains against the pirate holding her, but he's much stronger than she is, due to years of lifting heavy sails and manning even heavier cannons. Panicked, she looks down and sees five different pirates climbing the rigging to come and get her. She desperately sinks her teeth into her captor's arm, and when his grip loosens Jaclyn manages to squirm away and fling herself into the rigging.

She can almost feel the shocked gazes of the pirates as she swings easily from line to line, dropping through the rigging as fast as any pirate. Little do they know that back home Jaclyn had been the only one in her gym class to successfully climb up and back down the climbing rope hanging from the ceiling of the gymnasium. Smiling with pride, she sprints to the other end of the ship and places one foot on the gunwale, preparing to leap into the water, when the sting of cold steel against her throat freezes her in her tracks. She looks down at the blade, and her heart nearly stops at the sight of the silver hook resting on her skin.

"I suggest you step down from there miss, before someone gets hurt." Jaclyn freezes at the sound of the dark voice that comes from somewhere behind her, and slowly plants her foot on the deck once more.

"That's a good girl. We wouldn't want you to fall off the ship, now would we?"

"Oh, no. Definitely not that," Jaclyn mutters mutinously under her breath.

Captain Hook chuckles with good humor at her wry tone of voice and says, "Now turn around to face me, so I can see what you look like. Surely such a pleasant and good natured girl has a lovely face to match."

Jaclyn turns to face him, and her eyes widen at the sight of the famed Captain James Hook. Dressed all in red, from his hat down to the edges of his long cape, he cuts an imposing figure to say the least. Jaclyn's eyes automatically focus on the sword hanging at his waist and the revolver strapped to his chest, then drift upwards to take in dark black curls framing a rugged face.

His most distinguishing feature, however, is his height. Jaclyn's five-foot-eleven frame just barely places her head at his shoulders, and at that moment she feels amazingly small and feminine, something she had never experienced around her classmates back home. Eyes blue as forget-me-nots glint from under the brim of his hat, and Jaclyn blushes as Hook returns her gaze with a smile, as if sensing her embarrassment.

Hook, when he first sees the young woman who had landed on his ship, is stunned speechless at the sight of her. He finds himself lost in her cool grey eyes, and he smiles as she blushes at his gaze. Her full pink lips curl in an embarrassed smile, and he feels himself irresistibly drawn to her by some invisible thread that she seems to spin with her every movement. She loosens her long blonde hair, causing it to fall in front of her face, and he finds himself gripped with the sudden urge to run his fingers through the silky strands, combing through them and revealing her chin, her throat, her ear... He jerks himself out of his haze and mentally gives himself a shake.

'Do not develop feelings for this girl!' he mentally berates himself. 'She's much too young for you! She's barely a woman! Though,' he thinks, eyeing her curves with a purely male interest, 'she definitely doesn't look like a child at all. More the opposite... No, no, no! Turn your mind in the other direction! What are you going to do with her?' As he ponders this new dilemma, he's distracted by movement on her part and realizes he's been staring at her for a while and she's started to fidget with discomfort.

'Has no one ever looked at her as a woman before?' he wonders silently, shocked at her behavior. 'Surely a beautiful lady such as this has had many suitors in the past.' Surprisingly, the idea of any other man talking to or laying a hand on this girl makes him seethe with the need to tear off someone's arms. He decides to ignore both this strangely alluring concept and the problem of what to do with her and simply get her away from the crew before one of them takes a liking to her.

"Just as I thought," he says, reaching out and taking her hand. "A lovely face to go with such a disposition." He brings her hand to his face and she blushes more furiously as he presses it to his lips.

However, if only to retain some semblance of sanity, Jaclyn pulls her hand away and nods. "Thank you, Captain. I'm sure that the famed Captain Hook has seen many a lovely woman in his life on the sea."

Hook raises a brow at the response. "Well, well, well. It seems that somehow you already know who I am, and I fear that leaves this conversation a bit one-sided. If I may be so bold as to ask, who are you?"

Jaclyn blinks in surprise at his courtesy. Not what you'd expect from supposedly the most villainous pirate on the seas. She manages to pull herself together and reply, "Jaclyn Cross, Captain. Sole provider for the Cross family, at your service."

Hook smiles. "A pleasure to meet you, Miss Cross." Sweeping off his hat, he makes an elegant bow, and as soon as he returns to his feet he barks, "Smee!"

Jaclyn jumps to attention at his tone, a remnant of her martial arts training, but relaxes as a short, pudgy man hurries up to the captain's side. "You called me, sir?"

Hook nods, saying, "Tell the cook to prepare a meal for two, and have it brought up to my cabin." He turns to me and offers Jaclyn his right arm, this being the one with the hook. "Would you care to join me, Miss Cross?"

Smiling warily, Jaclyn links her arm with his. "I'd be delighted, Captain." Hook smiles and leads her in the direction of a door at the stern of the ship, and then suddenly notices the crew, who had been standing in the same place during their entire conversation.

"Well, what are you waiting for?!" He barks. "Get back to work!" Immediately they jump into action, hurrying off to their jobs as fast as they can, but as Jaclyn looks back, she sees many of them shoot her a hostile glance before turning away.

Hook finally reaches the door and pushes it open, then leads Jaclyn inside. The first thing that comes to her attention is the large wooden table that dominates the center of the room, and the various maps and charts that cover it. One in particular catches her eye, and she unhooks her arm from Hook's and walks over to it. Her eyes widen at the sight of an accurate representation of Neverland, and her heart swells with happiness as the truth really sinks in.

"I'm really here." She whispers, her eyes locked on the map. "I'm really in Neverland."

All of a sudden she feels the map gently tugged from her hands as Hook clears off the table, opening drawers and putting away different pieces of paper in each. "I apologize for the mess, Miss Cross. Something strange is happening in Neverland, and I feel that it may soon be necessary to have all of this information." Jaclyn frowns at the knowledge that 'something strange is happening' and wonders what it could mean.

Hook, noticing her expression, smiles and says, "Don't worry, my dear. You need not worry yourself over the happenings of Neverland. Rest assured it will all be over soon."

He allows himself a moment to let his eyes linger before turning his attention back to making his guest happy and comfortable. He gestures to an empty seat at one end of the table. "Please, take a seat, Miss Cross. Let us discuss your... unusual arrival in Neverland."

Gratefully she sits down in the chair that was offered and immediately sinks into the soft cushions on the bottom and the back of the chair. Hook's eyes widen as she slumps into the chair and her shirt bunches around her waist, showcasing a hard, muscled stomach and tanned skin. He tears his eyes away from her stomach just in time to catch her first words, and then listens to what she has to say while trying to ignore the bare flesh her skimpy waitress' uniform reveals.

Jaclyn takes a deep breath and begins. "So. How I got to Neverland... Well, I was working at a restaurant in my hometown and I had to serve these kids who were being jerks. This one girl really got me mad, so I jumped at her, but before I could reach her, this huge black hole opened up right in front of me and I fell in. When I fell out of it I was on your ship." Hook looks at her with a strange expression on his face, and she says, "It's all true, I swear! That's all that happened!"

Hook smiles. "I believe you. It's just that I've never met a woman quite like you, Miss Cross." Jaclyn blushes wildly at his comment, and frantically brings up the conversation again, in the hopes that it will distract him and give her time to recover.

"What do you mean? I'm just like every other woman on Earth." Shaking his head, he chuckles.

"No, I mean that I would never have expected a woman to be so unrestrained, especially in public. Most of the women of my time would have sat back and let a man handle the insult." His face becomes melancholy. "I guess I've been away from Earth longer than I had originally thought."

Jaclyn suddenly realizes how he must feel. After being separated from Earth for so long, his family and friends have all been dead for a long time, and her being here has only served to bring back bad memories. She looks around the room, hoping to find something she can use to change the subject again, and her eyes land on the map of Neverland she had been looking at earlier.

"Umm…" She starts, not knowing how to ask her question.

Hook looks up in surprise, as if he wasn't expecting her to still be there. "Yes, Miss Cross? What is it?"

Jaclyn points at the map. "I was wondering if you could show me different places in Neverland. After all, if I'm ever going to explore the land itself, I should know what I'm getting into."

Hook frowns, and for a moment Jaclyn thinks that he's going to refuse, but then he breaks into a smile, apparently as happy as she is with the change in subject. "Why of course! I would be delighted! And of course I will escort you to the mainland should you ever wish to leave the ship." At this his face clouds over. Clearly he dislikes the idea of her leaving the ship, and Jaclyn wonders why that could be. If it was because he wanted her as a prisoner he could have just refused to take her to the mainland, but instead he offered to escort her himself. She gives herself a mental shake, deciding to ponder this dilemma at a more appropriate time, like when she's alone in her own cabin.

She suddenly sits upright in her chair, having been struck by insight. "Captain...?" she starts, and Hook looks up from the chest he had been bending over to get the map and smiles at her.

Jaclyn's heart pounds at the sight of his smile, but she pushes forward. "I was just wondering where I would be staying for the duration of my stay. With the crew or...?" Hook shakes his head almost violently.

"No, no. Of course you wouldn't be staying with the crew!" Inwardly Jaclyn breathes a sigh of relief, but then stiffens at his next words. "You will be staying in my cabin with me." Jaclyn stares at him with wide eyes. If her heart starts to pound when he even smiles at her, how would she stay alive with him sleeping in the same room as me? Her heart would probably give out before she got any sleep.

Immediately Hook looks embarrassed. "Of course, if you would prefer to sleep in the crew's quarters, I could arrange for a bunk to be set up for you..."

Jaclyn raises her hands frantically in front of her face and says, "No, it's fine." No matter what was in store for her if she stayed in the Captain's cabin, staying with the crew would be easily a hundred times worse. "I was just wondering where I would sleep, seeing as there's only one bed."

Hook looks at Jaclyn as if the answer was obvious. "Well, of course you would sleep on the bed, and I would take the floor. It's only right."

"I couldn't possibly ask you to lose your own bed just to let me sleep in it," Jaclyn insists. "I'll take the floor."

Hook smiles and, having finally found the map, walks over to her and pulls up a chair on her left. As expected, her heart starts pounding at his nearness, and she worries that she may be developing 'feelings' for the captain.

'No, no, no! Not only is he like, hundreds of years older than me, but he's the captain of a ship and I'm just a serving girl at a small-town restaurant who needs to work three shifts to help pay for her family's food. It would never work.' At this thought her heart sinks in despair, but she pushes the disappointment aside and chooses to just concentrate on the map that Hook has just laid out on the table.

Hook turns to smile at her. "You, Miss Cross, are my guest. And as such, you sleep on the bed. I will find different accommodations until a place may be found for you." All of a sudden he turns back to the map and points to a small cove on the northern edge of the island. "Now, here is where this ship is currently anchored. Occasionally we sail downwards," he moves his finger around the eastern side of the island and comes to rest on what appears to be a harbor, "to this harbor on the Southern Edge. The Southern Edge, by the way, is the wall of cliffs that line the southern shore of the island. The harbor is carved into the rock, and the only way to get there is by boat." All of a sudden his face twists in displeasure. "Or by flying."

Jaclyn nods, enthusiastic to hear more. Spotting a small island off the western coast, and she points to it. "What's that island?"

Hook looks down, and immediately all traces of displeasure are erased from his face. "That, my dear, is the island that is home to all of the faeries that reside in Neverland, called Eslandi. Their people are actually the only ones native to this land, and if they did come from somewhere else, no one knows where. Naturally, they are the ones who record and store all of the history of the island, from the largest battles to the amount of rainfall from one year to the next. They have palaces like you wouldn't believe, and they have faeries all over the island, collecting information." He looks out the window, as if expecting a faerie to be fluttering just outside. "My guess would be that they already know you're here."

Jaclyn smiles at his enthusiasm when talking about Neverland, and she thinks about how wonderful Eslandi sounds. "The island sounds beautiful," she says dreamily, and Hook looks over at her.

"Yes, it is beautiful." Jaclyn looks up at his wistful tone, and blushes as she realizes he's looking at her as he says it. She quickly turns her head back to the map, and tries to control her once again throbbing heart.

All of a sudden she feels Hook's left hand under her chin, and her stomach clenches with an unknown feeling as he turns her head so that she's facing him. His gaze flicks to her lips and back and she blushes shamelessly, trying to turn away again, only to find her chin caught in his grip. Jaclyn's eyes widen as he leans forward, and soon her heart is beating so loudly she's surprised the entire crew doesn't hear it.

Their lips are a mere whisper apart when the cabin door suddenly bursts open and Smee stumbles into the room. Immediately Hook and Jaclyn push away from each other, and Jaclyn is surprised to see a blush rising on Hook's cheeks.

He turns to Smee with murder in his eyes, and Smee jumps to attention. "This had better be good Smee. I would hate to have had you interrupt me for nothing."

Smee nods and says, "Peter Pan and the Lost Boys are attacking the ship, sir!" Hook immediately leaps to his feet, knocking his chair over in his haste. He turns to Jaclyn with concern, and smiles gently.

"Please stay in the cabin, Miss Cross. I would hate for anything to happen to you." With this he pulls on his cape and hat and walks out of the room. Jaclyn can hear him vaguely through the door shout, "Pan!" and she sinks down into her chair.

Her mind is on autopilot at the moment, and the only thought running through it is, 'Was he just trying to kiss me?' She shakes her head with vehemence. 'No, way. Even if I have feelings for the captain, which I am going to deny, he can't have feelings for me. I mean, I'm just too plain. I don't have any curves to speak of, my hair definitely isn't something to brag about, and I haven't even gotten braces yet. There's absolutely nothing about me that he could possibly find attractive. Well, my eyes are kind of a cool grey color, but that's about it.'

However, her traitorous heart reminds her of the softness of his touch and the intent in his eyes as he leaned towards her, and she sighs dreamily. "But I do wish he would really like me."

P.S. Sorry the first chapter was so short! This one's longer though, so have fun and go crazy! XD Hook rocks!


	3. The Captain acts funny

All of a sudden a loud crowing echoes through the door and Jaclyn looks over in shock. 'That must be Peter Pan!' she thinks in shock, realizing that he and Hook must be fighting out on deck. All of a sudden she remembers how all of the stories about Peter Pan had ended with Captain Hook's death, and she began to fear for Hook's life. 'What if Peter hurts him? Or what if-' She stops that thought in its tracks, refusing to dwell on that alternative, instead rushing out onto the deck in the hopes that she can help.

She bursts through the cabin door and is greeted by the sight of a battlefield, full of pirates struggling to fend off a gang of boys, none of which can be more than ten years old, with fists or blades. And, above all of the turmoil are Pan and Hook, their swords flashing in the sun as they strike and parry in a gruesome dance of death. Apparently Hook had gotten hold of some faerie dust, because he's flying through the rigging with the agility that should have belonged to a much younger man. All of a sudden Peter gets the upper hand in the fight, and Hook finds his sword thrown into the water and Pan's blade at his throat.

"Give up, Codfish!" Peter shouts with glee, pressing his small dagger harder onto Hook's throat, and Jaclyn gasps at the sight of the bead of blood that trickles down his neck and onto his sweat-soaked shirt.

However, Hook smiles, showing off his pearly white teeth in a grimace of rage. "You can't beat me, Pan! You never have, and you never will!" With a speed that leaves Jaclyn speechless, Hook shoves Peter backwards and pulls out a dagger of his own, flying at Peter with a relentless rage that almost pains Jaclyn to see.

The entire crew has stopped fighting, and so have the Lost Boys. All of their eyes are glued to the pair flying through the rigging, and Jaclyn can see their mouths moving, silently cheering for their defending champion.

All of a sudden a gasp rises from the people amassed on the deck as both the combatants knock each other's weapons out of each other's hands and hang there, watching each other warily. Peter makes the first move, flying at Hook with murderous intent, but Hook simply floats a small distance to the left, and Peter whizzes harmlessly past him, slamming into the rigging and becoming entangled in the many lines.

Quickly he wriggles his way out and pulls himself free, this time hanging in midair and waiting for Hook to make the first move. All Hook does, however, is cross his arms across his chest and smile, floating in place mockingly. "Looks like you're getting slower, Peter. The loss of that little girl making you lazy?"

Peter's face twists with rage at this, and he zooms at Hook, screaming in pain and rage. Again Hook sidesteps him, letting him get once more tangled in the rigging. This time, however, he doesn't give Peter time to extricate himself and instead flies towards him and grabs his throat, lifting him out of the lines with one hand.

"This is for cutting off my hand, child!" Jaclyn looks on in horror as his hand tightens around Peter's neck, slowly but surely squeezing the life out of him, and as he raises his hook over his head and prepares to plunge it into the boy's chest she shouts, "No!"

Captain Hook looks at her in shock, and the rest of the people standing on deck turn to her as well, their faces astonished at the sight of a girl in a waitress' uniform standing on the deck after coming out of the captain's cabin. Hook, stunned out of his rage, lets his grip around Peter's neck loosen. The boy falls to the deck unconscious, and the lost boys immediately rush over to him and lift him into their arms, sending looks of hatred towards Hook, who is still hanging in the air, all enmities forgotten at the sight of Jaclyn standing on the deck.

The lost boys all lift off the deck, bearing Peter away, and Hook finally manages to shake himself out of his reverie. His face brightens as he takes in her image, and he sinks to the deck, walking over to Jaclyn and standing directly in front of her. With some shock he sees that she's shaking, and immediately he reaches out a hand to comfort her.

Her face contorting into a glare, Jaclyn slaps his hand away. "You almost killed him!" She shouts at him at the top of her lungs. Hook flinches back as if slapped.

"You care for Pan?" He asks, disbelief in his voice. Jaclyn shakes her head furiously, and he lets out a sigh of relief, but immediately draws himself up with indignation at her next words.

"It's not right to kill someone over revenge, Captain! He's just a child! If you had killed him you would have been nothing more than a murderer and Peter would have been nothing less than a martyr, who died defending Neverland." Hook looks at her, annoyed, and he crosses his arms over his chest.

"That boy cut off my hand and fed it to a crocodile, not only costing me my limb, but also dooming me to be haunted by that damned crocodile 'til the end of time!"

Jaclyn shakes her head, looking at him as one would a naughty child who's been caught stealing cookies out of the cookie jar. "That doesn't mean you can kill him! The loss of a hand does not equal the loss of a life!"

Hook looks angrily down at her, all gentle feelings erased from his mind at the tone Jaclyn is using. "I will not be spoken to like that on my own ship!" Hook roars, and Jaclyn flinches backwards. However she quickly straightens and glares at Hook, planting her fists on her waist.

"Well you'd better get used to it, pal, because I don't like being ordered around very much! I don't care how long you've been gone from Earth; women deserve respect, just as men do! And I'm not letting you continue this feud with Peter Pan as long as I'm on this ship. If you want to fight, then you'll have to put me on land." She looks at him defiantly. "I would make your decision fast, because if you don't I'll make it for you by jumping over the edge of the ship and swimming for it."

Hook looks at her in shock, but then smiles viciously, now resembling the murderous pirate he was portrayed as in all of the stories Jaclyn had read about him. "Or I could just lock you up and keep fighting. That way I get both you and Pan!" With this he reaches out and hooks an arm around Jaclyn's waist, lifting her up and tossing her over his shoulder like nothing more than a sack of flour.

With a shriek Jaclyn finds herself dangling over Hook's shoulder, with her head level with his lower back and being all too aware of his hand resting on her legs. She hears him chuckle, and her blood starts to boil. "Put me down you bastard! Who do you think you are! I refuse to be humiliated like this, damn it!" Punctuating each word with a fist slammed into his back, Jaclyn screams herself hoarse before she realizes that all she's really doing is tiring herself out.

Defeated, she hangs her head, letting herself slump down in fatigue. Hook laughs, and Jaclyn shivers involuntarily at the feel of his warm breath across her calves. "It seems you're all tired out, Miss Cross. I'm glad, since this means I won't have to hurt you in order to keep you from struggling." If she had had any energy left at all Jaclyn would have hit him again, but as it is she simply hangs there, her limbs aching.

Still chuckling, Hook walks back into his cabin, leaving a very quiet and bery confused group of pirates behind him.

One of them turns to the other. "What was that all about?"

The other one shrugs his shoulders, watching as the captain's door swings shut with a bang. "Who knows. But the last time the captain acted like this was when that lady fell through one of those portals before. He was acting all funny then too."

The first pirate nods in understanding. "Oh, yeah. I remember that. Where did that lady go, anyway?"

The second pirate cuffs him across the back of his head. "You idjit! That lady was killed by the croc, remember? Now stop asking stupid questions and get back to work!" With this he turns away and walks back to his post, mumbling angrily about stupid pirates and woman-eating crocodiles.


	4. A Little Discussion

With Jaclyn still slung over his shoulder, Hook kicks the door to his cabin open with a bang. He steps inside and then, after closing the door after himself, walks over to a door on the far wall of the cabin that Jaclyn hadn't noticed before. He pushes this door open as well, and Jaclyn notices as they walk through the doorway that the door has no knob, but it does have a deadbolt on the outside and one on the inside.

Hook abruptly throws her down on something soft, and as Jaclyn looks around she sees that it's a king-sized bed.

'This must be the captain's room,' she thinks, and blushes as Hook sits beside her. Her embarrassment turns to rage, however, as he reaches out and grabs her wrists with his right hand, pushing them up over her head and pressing them onto the mattress. He bends down and looks her in the eye, a grin tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Can I trust you to stay here while I'm gone?" Hook asks calmly, and Jaclyn blushes as the cold metal of his hook presses against her thigh at he same time that his right leg brushes against her calf.

"I would be more inclined to answer if you would move farther away," Jaclyn snarls, her mouth curling into a scowl.

Hook smiles and shakes his head. "I'm not moving from this spot until you answer my question."

Jaclyn glares at him, and shouts, "Go to hell!" With this she lifts up her knee to her chest and kicks Hook off of her, and immediately leaps off of the bed and runs towards the door. She's reaching towards the hard wood when Hook's hand reaches out and grabs her waist, and she screams as he pulls her into his lap. Quickly he wraps his left arm around her and covers her mouth with his other hand, effectively stifling her yells.

Jaclyn feels a blush rising in her cheeks at the feel of her back pressed against Hook's strong chest, and when he leans his head next to hers she utters a small moan. Hook presses his lips to her cheek and says, "now, would you like to change your answer to the question I asked you previously, Miss Cross?"

Jaclyn shivers excitedly as his lips brush against her skin, but she forces herself to turn her head away from him. Immediately Hook shoves her back onto the bed violently. He storms away from her, saying over his shoulder.

"Fine. If you won't do what I say, then I'll just have to lock you in here." He pauses with his hand on the door, though, and he says quietly. "I thought you were better than this. I've done nothing but offer you hospitality and you repay me like this?" He turns a disgusted gaze towards her. "I'm almost sorry I allowed you to remain on my ship."

Jaclyn sits in shock as Hook prepares to leave the room, and she suddenly shouts, "Wait!" Hook turns toward her with a strange look in his eye, and Jaclyn bows her head apologetically.

"I'm sorry. You're right, and I haven't been fair to you. I'll wait for you as long as you'll tell me where you're going." Hook looks at her with relief. He reaches for her hand and takes it in his, stroking her palm with his thumb and tracing the lines running across her skin.

"In the confusion that came during the battle, our dinner seems to have been spoiled. I'm simply going to go make sure that the cook has started cooking the meal again." Jaclyn smiles and gently pulls her hand from his, gesturing towards the door.

"Then by all means, go ahead. I'm starving." She smiles to show him that she's kidding. "I just have one favor to ask of you." Hook turns to her happily, his hook on the door.

"Anything," Hook says, looking down at her gently. Jaclyn looks down at her feet awkwardly.

"Could I wait in the other room instead? I really wanted to see some more of those maps." Hook immediately nods, and then walks back to her with his arm outstretched. She gratefully stands up, linking her arm through his and grinning up at him. Together they walk out of the bedroom, and Hook graciously leads Jaclyn over to her chair and motions for her to sit down. Once she's seated he walks over to the cabinet on the far wall and pulls out various charts, bringing them over to Jaclyn and laying them on the table in front of her.

"I apologize for the disarray. Please feel free to get others if these are unsatisfactory." He looks at her outfit, and he clears his throat to get her attention, which has momentarily been diverted by the pile of valuable information before her. She immediately looks up at him, and Hook feels himself at a momentary loss for breath at the glowing radiance that surrounds Jaclyn's face as she beams up at him.

"Yes?" she says, looking up at him gratefully, wordlessly thanking him for bringing her all of the information in front of her.

Hook stares at her with longing, trying to remember what it was he had been about to say. Suddenly he remembers and coughs awkwardly. "I was just wondering if you might be willing to wear something more suitable for the remainder of your stay." Jaclyn looks down at her uniform, and seems to only just realize how small and tight it is. She blushes, and nods frantically.

"What did you have in mind?" She asks, and her heart lifts at the memory of what the crew had been wearing. She would be happy with their baggy capris and their laced t-shirts, and especially with the boots they all seemed to be wearing. She had always been a big fan of anything boyish and casual, so it's no surprise that her face darkens as Hook says, "I happen to have a dress in my cabin, as well as stockings and a corset for you to wear."

Jaclyn looks at him as if he were crazy. "A corset?!" she squawks, and Hook nods, puzzled by her reaction.

Jaclyn sees this and says, "I would prefer to wear what the crew is wearing, if you don't mind." Hook's jaw drops in shock, and he shakes his head forcefully. "No, Miss Cross. You will wear the dress provided. I refuse to let a lady such as yourself wear men's clothing.

Jaclyn opens her mouth to argue but, too happy with the easy companionship between her and Hook, she lets it go, deciding instead to suffer through the embarrassment of wearing a dress and looking like a total idiot rather than ruin the mood.

Hook notices her change in attitude and smiles, feeling a sense of relief at the knowledge that he would no longer be taunted by all of Jaclyn's bare flesh revealed by her uniform. "Thank you, Miss Cross. The dress is hanging in the wardrobe in the other room, and I will be back after I have met with the cook." With an elegant bow, he turns and exits the room, leaving Jaclyn with a dress, a pile of maps and charts, and a lot of confusing emotions to sort through.


	5. Pretty Dresses

Jaclyn looks helplessly around her, and then decides to get into that stupid dress before she does anything else. She gets up from her chair and walks over to the captain's bedroom door, gently pushing it open and walking inside. The door closes behind her, but the light coming in through the porthole is enough to allow her to see. As her eyes adjust to the light, she notices that on the table beside the bed is a small black book, and she gently lifts it up.

On the cover is a single faerie's wing, shining bright white against the black binding of the book. Above it, written in shining letters, are the words: _Umbra de Luna_. Jaclyn knows enough Latin from the four years she had taken it to know that it meant: Shades of the Moon. She opens up to the first page and her eyes widen. This book describes every single thing possible about Neverland! As she flips through it, she sees that Neverland has not one, but three moons, time never flows because this world is separate from all other realities, that every single idea that came from Earth is represented in some way here, and most importantly, time flows differently depending on where you are. Her knuckles begin to shake with fear as she reads the time conversions, and her whole body starts to shake. Oh, God, what had she done?

According to the book, time sometimes passes in great leaps, and often with no sort of predictable pattern, but occasionally a sort of structure emerges from the chaos. The book describes that at certain times the realities would shift and, as if making up for the time that never passes in Neverland, time on Earth skips months or years at a time. Meaning, if you came to Neverland in 1918 and there just happened to be a 'time skip' while you were there, you could go back to Earth and find that it's 2010, even though you might only have been in Neverland for a couple of days.

Frantically Jaclyn looks up the date of the next predicted 'time skip', and her eyes widen with shock as she sees that it's supposed to occur in six days! She has less than a week in which to get home! Slowly she calms herself down, and she smiles with the knowledge that she has at least five days to enjoy Neverland, and then she can go back home.

For a second a picture of Hook floats into her face, but she pushes it aside. She has to go home, if only to move out of her house. She's tired of taking care of her dad, a drunk, and being the brunt of hundreds of jokes at school because of it. She had stashed away a tidy sum, though, so when she got home she could simply take it out of her account, pack up, and move out.

With her mind satisfied with her plan, she lays the book gently back onto the table. As she does so, she sees a small line of type on the back of the book. The entire first half of the sentence is in a language she doesn't understand, though somehow it looks familiar, but she recognizes the last two words: _Tuatha De_.

Her eyes widen at the sight of the familiar phrase. She had seen it used in many of the books she had read, and suddenly realized it was a phrase in Gaelic that was a name for faeries, or Fey.

'This book belongs to the faeries!' Jaclyn realizes, her heart starting to pound as she remembers all of the tales she had heard of the Fey folk. They were said to be vain, arrogant, spiteful, and soulless. She had read far too many legends about human females who had disappeared into grassy knolls which concealed a faerie court, or about people who had been trapped in mushroom circles where they were forced to dance for all eternity. Unfortunately, they were also supposed to be beautiful enough to make a woman speechless with lust. If a female human met a male Fey, they faerie would most likely rape the woman, leaving her too weak to move, and then bring her to whichever court he belonged to serve as a slave.

'But that can't be true,' she thinks hopefully, 'Neverland faeries are kind. Take Tinkerbell, for example. I saw her today, and she was just as she's always been described: small and tinkling, glowing with a bright light. That must mean that all Neverland faeries are like that.' Slightly reassured by her assumption, Jaclyn walks over to the wardrobe and glares at it.

"I swear, if you open up to show me some frilly thing with – god forbid – ribbons on it, I swear to God you'll end up as kindling!"

She walks over to the wardrobe with a sigh, preparing herself for the worst.

She pulls open the doors and gasps. There, hanging among all of Hook's other capes and shirts, is the most beautiful dress she'd ever seen. It's designed with the traditional puffy-sleeved pirate style in mind, complete with a lace-up front and plain white cotton shirt sewn onto the inside. The difference with this dress is that the fabric that made up the part of the dress over the cotton shirt is a light blue gray, and the skirt, (which is a light gray with the barest hint of pink), is one that you could twirl in and get a circle with a diameter of about five feet. The stockings and corset Hook had mentioned are folded neatly on the bottom of the wardrobe, and Jaclyn draws them out with distaste.

'How did women in olden times wear these things every day?' she wonders, as she strips out of her shirt, skirt, and bra, and wraps the ribbed fabric around her front. With a sigh of relief she realizes that the corset has eyehooks on the back instead of lacings, and she sucks in her stomach in order to clip the last two hooks. Next she pulls on the stockings, and as she shimmies them up her legs she realizes that it had been five years since she had worn tights. She hadn't worn a pair since she went to her mother's funeral.

As she remembers all of the people who came to say good-bye to her mother, Jaclyn feels the instinctive tears start to well up in her eyes. Immediately she shoves them back, refusing to fall apart because of a simple memory.

In order to take her mind off things, she gently takes the dress off of its hanger and pulls it over her head, marveling at how it fits her perfectly, almost as if it had been made just for her. She twirls around, giggling at how the skirt twirls, and then catches a sight of herself in a mirror on the wall. She freezes, her eyes widening in shock at the sight of her reflection. For the first time she really sees herself since she had come to Neverland.

She had always thought of herself as a little too curvy, with wider hips than the rest of the girls that just wouldn't go away. Now she realized that they gave her some real curves that none of the girls at school would even dream of having.

The dress definitely helped too. The bust was able to be laced tightly, pulling her chest in tighter, and the waist curved perfectly with hers. The skirt flared out at just the right angle and simply showed off what was already there.

'I have to know who made this dress so that I can get more,' she thinks happily, and then blushes as she wonders, 'What will Hook think?' With a flash of realization, she sees that what she had been trying to prevent had happened anyway.

'I actually care about him,' she thinks in despair. 'I can't care about him! What will I do when I have to leave?' At this thought she feels her chest seize up in panic, and her mind starts to fill with a blind panic left over from when her mother had died. Forcefully she pushes it back, and turns away from the mirror in despair.

'Why can't this be easy?' she wonders, hugging herself around the waist. 'I'm supposed to want to go home, no matter what. Isn't that how it always works?' She shakes her head, wiping away tears that have started to well up in her eyes. She slowly raises her eyes back to her reflection and glares at it, realizing that there's only one thing that she can do now.

'I can't let myself care about him,' she thinks, feeling what is left of her heart shrivel up and die a quick death at the thought. 'It's better to never know. It will make it easier in the end to accept.' She steps towards the door leading into the main room of the cabin. 'We were never meant to be together. This is the end of anything that might have been. In order to protect my heart from more pain, I have to walk away.' She steps through the doorway, her heart cold as ice and her eyes full of tears as she leaves her dreams - and her heart - in the room behind her.


	6. Dinner Time

**Disclaimer:** I'm sorry for forgetting in all of the past chapters, but here goes. I do not own Peter Pan, Hook (though I wish I did squeezes little plushie Hook), or any other original J.M. Barrie characters. Though I do claim Jaclyn and Garret and all of the kids in the first chapter as my own. (also any other important characters that I make up as I go along. hint. hint.) Enjoy the chapter!

Jaclyn walks slowly over to the table, and she grips her chest at the pain that rips its way through her heart. She looks longingly towards the closed door behind her, wishing she could just run back there and bury herself under the covers, just like she had when she was little. Instead she lifts up one of the maps from the table, holding it in front of her eyes but somehow not seeing it.

She reaches up to find tears streaming down her face, and the map slips out of her trembling grip. Her knees buckle, and she crashes to the floor, wailing, "No! I can't! I can't! No! No. no..." Slowly her voice trickles off into a whisper, and she clutches her sides, her chest heaving with the sobs that still shudder through her. Jaclyn pushes herself to her feet and stumbles toward the armchair in the corner of the room, and sinks into it with an extra large sob, curling up in a ball and pressing her face into the blood red cushions, her tears staining the fabric.

Her sobs slowly fade away, but her mind continues to whirl in turmoil at the thoughts bouncing around inside it.

'Should I stay here; screw my dad?' This idea is rather appealing, so she files it away in the MAYBE drawer of her brain.

'Should I leave Neverland and keep working for my dad's addiction?' That one was thrown in the NO pile immediately, where it was promptly shredded, burned, and then buried.

And then the most important of all, 'Do I really care enough for Hook that I would give up my life?' All of a sudden she sits upright, her mind still spinning. 'Wait, what life?! Back home I was nothing! I was a serving girl in a run-down restaurant in a dead-end town with a deadbeat father whose only job was to take my money and use it to buy beer! Why would I want to go back to that?'

Jaclyn leaps up out of the chair and grins, and then throws her head back and laughs. "I don't have to go! I can stay here for as long as I want! Forget the time skips! My dad can kiss my ass for all I care, I'm staying in Neverland!" Suddenly she feels a strong male presence behind her, and immediately her mouth snaps shut.

Knowing who exactly is behind her, Jaclyn spins around on her heel to find herself facing a very annoyed Captain Hook holding two gently steaming trays of food. "I would appreciate it if you would stop shouting, Miss Cross. It is very distracting to my crew, and frankly, it's giving me a headache."

Jaclyn gulps, remembering the little 'disagreement' they had had earlier (which had resulted in her being thrown over Hook's shoulder) and realizes for the first time how dangerous Hook really is. Up until that moment she had almost been treating him like a friend, but she would have to be more careful now about hiding her growing feelings from the captain. If he found out how much she cared for him, he could use that to his own advantage. He is, after all, the fearsome pirate captain of the Jolly Roger, who's been spoken of in books and movies as a rogue and a villain. She has no idea what he's capable of, and until she does she'll have to step lightly around him.

Suddenly Hook bends down so that his face is level with Jaclyn's. "Are you all right, Miss Cross?"

Jaclyn jumps in surprise, not even realizing that she's been standing in the same spot for several minutes. She laughs nervously, backing up slowly and going over to the table. "I'm fine, just a little shaken. I guess you heard me shouting, then."

Hook nods, smiling strangely at her. "You could say that. Or you could say that the entire crew heard you wailing and crying at the top of your voice, and then heard you shouting and laughing." He continues to stare at Jaclyn. "I didn't realize such a small person could make so much noise."

Jaclyn gasps in indignation, standing up to her full five feet eleven inches as she faces Hook down. "I happened to be the tallest person in my grade, so don't tell me I'm small!"

Hook's smile grows wider and he walks over to Jaclyn. He looms over her like a shadow, and she instinctively tries to look small and unnoticeable, a feat at which she fails miserably. "You're small to me," Hook says, bending closer until their faces are almost touching and shaking with silent laughter at Jaclyn's indignant response.

Jaclyn lets out a small "eep!" and runs around the table, clearing off papers and laying them in various drawers, but stops as soon as Hook lays a warm hand on her shoulder. At the first contact, Jaclyn jumps as if shocked and scurries to her chair, her face flaming red, and Hook stands there for a moment before laying out the food he's been carrying this whole time.

He places one tray in front of Jaclyn, and brings the other tray over to his seat, sets it down, and then sits down himself. Laying his hook on the table, he rests his chin in his other hand, gazing at the girl seated across from him.

'It's strange, but she seems even more jumpy than she was when she first landed on the ship, if that's possible.' He studies her face intently, and smiles as he sees something quite different from fear in her eyes. 'Care? Concern? But for who?' He toys with the idea that it may be him, but quickly discards it.

'No, I'm much too old for her. She's probably looking for someone closer to her age, at least by a few centuries.' This thought quickly sobers him up as he realizes exactly how long it's been since he was on Earth. 'Over two hundred years,' he thinks morosely, and looks down at his plate, reluctantly lifting his fork with his right hand.

His eyes drift, as they often do, over to his hook, and he feels the familiar bite of regret. 'So much has changed since then.' Clearing his throat loudly, he looks back up at Jaclyn, noting with some surprise that she's currently wolfing down the food on front of her, and stifles a chuckle as a trickle of cream sauce runs down her chin.

When she doesn't look up, Hook clears his throat louder, hoping to gain her attention. This time she looks up, and Hook can't help but let out a snort of laughter as the sauce continues to drip down her chin and onto her throat. Jaclyn's eyes narrow and she shrewdly realizes the source of his laughter.

"I have something on my face, don't I?" She asks, as if Hook should have told her sooner. Hook nods, unable to talk from trying to restrain his laughter. He gestures to his chin, and finally manages to get his voice under control. "I'll be sure to tell the cook that you enjoyed your food, but I'm sure he would prefer it go into your mouth, not around it."

Jaclyn blushes, and uses her napkin to wipe off most of the sauce. However, she misses the thin line of it that has found its way down her neck. Suddenly Hook is seized with an unbelievable and strangely appealing urge, and before he can think better of it he rises from his chair and walks over to Jaclyn's. Jaclyn shrinks backwards in embarrassment and Hook smiles at her reaction.

He reaches out a hand and lays it on her cheek. "You missed a spot," he murmurs, and glides one finger down her face and to her chin, and then slowly moves it lower, wiping away all traces of the sauce from her throat.

Jaclyn's heart beats out a pounding rhythm, and her breath comes in short pants as Hook removes his finger from her skin. Her face flushes a deeper shade of red than she can ever remember it doing, and she frantically grabs her napkin and scrubs at the spot Hook had traced, as if she can erase the memory of his touch. Hook chuckles and, unbeknownst to her, licks the sauce off of his finger with a grin and sighs at the taste, which is all the sweeter because it had been on her skin a moment ago.

Recalling her reaction to his nearness, Hook smiles as he realizes that the girl may have stronger feelings for him than she lets on. Casually he walks back to his chair and sits, stretching out his legs underneath the table, the epitome of relaxation. He turns his ice blue gaze again to Jaclyn and says casually, "What, if I may be so bold as to ask, were you shouting about earlier?"

Jaclyn internally lets out a sigh of relief, glad for any chance to calm her quickly fraying nerves. "I, um, found a book in your cabin and read about the time skips... and I, uh, sorta kinda got worried about what would happen when I left, and then I realized that I didn't have to go back so I felt better and then you came in." She blurts out this last part very fast, and Hook smiles as he guesses why Jaclyn had been so upset about leaving.

"Why were you so upset about leaving?" Hook asks coyly, smiling as Jaclyn fidgets with discomfort, and leans his elbow on the table, resting his chin in his palm.

Jaclyn's eyes dart back and forth, and she frantically grasps at the first thought that pops into her head. "I was worried that I wouldn't be able to really see Neverland before I had to leave, so I got nervous." She ducks her head, blushing as she realizes how feeble this lie is.

Hook grins, thinking the same thing. "My dear, you are a very poor liar, but I can give you credit for trying." His eyes narrow in mirth, and he rises from his chair for the second time. "Now, let's see if we can't help you 'really see' Neverland."

Okay, it's done. (whew) I wrote this mostly in my room on my sister's laptop, so I'm sorry if there are any spelling errors. For the people who haven't noticed a pattern in my updates, I'm trying to get one chapter done every weekend. So far it's working, but if for some reason I forget I give all of you out there permission to hunt me down and throw things at me. hides behind giant metal wall I was just kidding about that. Please don't throw things at me. I haven't broken a bone yet and I don't want to break my record now. Anyway, on a completely different subject, I read the funniest joke in one of my books, and I thought some of you might want to hear it. Okay, here it is:

A newly married couple is in their hotel room, and the husband pulls off his pants and throws them to his wife. "Here, put these on," The man says. The wife looks confused but she does it anyway. The waistband has to be twice the size of her hips.

"I can't wear your pants," she complains, "they're too big!"

The husband smiles, saying, "That's right, and you should remember who wears the pants in this family."

The wife then takes off her underwear and throws it to her husband, telling him to try it on. The husband does so, but can only get the lacy material up to his knees.

He turns to his wife, saying, "Hell, I can't get into you panties."

The wife nods and says, "and that's how it's gonna stay until you change your damn attitude!"

Hardy har har. I love when evil men get what they deserve. It makes me feel all fuzzy inside, seriously. For those of you who liked this joke, another one's coming in the next chapter, and for those of you who didn't I'm sorry but I really like them. Hope you're enjoying the fic, please R&R! Thanks bunches-!

rorygal2991


	7. Gotta Find Some Clothes

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Peter Pan or any other Barrie characters, but I do own the elves you may meet, Jaclyn, and some of the creatures that live in Neverland. Unfortunately I don't own Within Temptation either, but I hope you enjoy the chapter anyway!

Hook gestures towards the door, but Jaclyn, still annoyed with the stunt he pulled with the sauce, balks at the idea of just strolling in front of him so that he could look at her at his leisure. Instead she stands and walks over to the door, holding it open for him and grinning insolently.

"Please, after you," she says, all honey and charm as she motions for him to go through. Hook narrows his eyes in annoyance, and crosses his arms across his chest.

Jaclyn smiles at his stubborn attitude but refuses to move. "It seems we are at an impasse," she says, quoting one of her favorite movies, The Princess Bride. However, her smile falters at the wicked gleam that has entered Hook's eyes.

"Not so much, Miss Cross. You do remember what happened last time you refused to cooperate? I assure you, I have no qualms about throwing you over my shoulder and carrying you out again." He suddenly looks at her strangely, as if hit by inspiration. "Actually, that's not a bad idea. Stay right there."

With a small gasp, Jaclyn dashes out the door, hearing Hook's mocking laughter echoing behind her.

When she reaches the mast she stops, looking around her in wonder. In all the time she had been in Neverland, she had never actually looked at the island itself. The only times she had been on deck she had either been running for her life or trying to break up the fight between Hook and Peter.

Now as she stares out at the dark waters lit by the sinking sun, she truly sees the beauty of this world. The sun creates glittering pools of orange light over the waves, and the water dances with all sorts of creatures, from mermaids to dolphins to seals. The island itself is another matter altogether. It glows with a light of its own, and Jaclyn can only assume that it comes from the faeries that inhabit the island. She wonders why she had ever considered leaving this place.

All of a sudden Hook steps up next to her. "It's very beautiful tonight." Jaclyn nods contentedly.

"I hadn't even realized it was almost nighttime until I stepped out on deck. I guess that tour will have to wait until tomorrow." Hook nods absentmindedly, and Jaclyn lets out a huge yawn. Hook smiles gently down at her, and drapes his coat around her shoulders. Not even realizing to protest as she's lifted into Hook's arms, Jaclyn's eyes flutter closed as she falls asleep with a smile on her face.

Hook walks into his cabin, and with Jaclyn still cradled in his arms he sits in the armchair in the corner. He looks down at the girl in his arms, and without thinking he presses his lips to her forehead. Slowly he pulls back, smiling, and as he brushes a stray lock of hair out of Jaclyn's face, he realizes with no small amount of shock that his feelings for this girl are growing. He pushes that realization into the back of his mind, refusing to let anything spoil the moment. His feelings can wait for another day, while this instant will probably never come again.

Secretly, though, Hook hopes that there will be many nights to come where Jaclyn Cross will fall asleep in his arms. Slowly Hook's eyes droop closed as well, and his last thought before he drifts into sleep is, 'It's just like with Elicia.'

oOo

Jaclyn's eyes flutter open, and she yawns hugely, arching her back and stretching before settling back onto... 'Wait, what am I lying on?' She looks down and gasps to find herself sitting in Hook's lap, with one arm draped across his shoulder and the other simply hanging by her side.

Hook has one arm draped across her chest, and she blushes as she realizes that while she had slept one of the shoulders of her dress had slipped off, revealing her bra and a lot more skin than she liked. His hook is, thankfully, draped over the arm of the chair, but surprisingly Jaclyn finds that the hook doesn't bother her as much as she thought it would.

It almost seems to her that without the hook the man beside her wouldn't be complete, while others might think that the metal appendage is a sign that he is broken or damaged. Jaclyn reaches out and runs her fingers over the cool metal, a smile lifting the corners of her mouth as she looks up at Hook's face.

'He's so peaceful when he's asleep,' she thinks, but suddenly Hook shifts in his sleep, jostling his hand and causing his thumb to hook Jaclyn's dress, pulling it further down over her shoulder. Jaclyn, blushing, quickly reaches up to move the offending limb, but finds that it's immovable. She looks suspiciously up at Hook again, and her eyes narrow as she notices small changes in his body. His breathing is shallower, one eye is slightly open, and a small smile is twitching at the corners of his lips as his hand slides lower, taking her dress with it.

Jaclyn leaps off of his lap as if electrocuted, yanking her dress up furiously. "What were you doing?!" she screams, livid.

Hook looks up at her innocently. "I can't help it if I move in my sleep," but Jaclyn can still see a teasing look in his eye. She turns away huffily, and stalks over to Hook's bedroom door.

Hook looks over at her, puzzled. "What are you going to do there?" he asks, getting up and grabbing his coat, which had fallen off of Jaclyn in the middle of the night.

Jaclyn glares at him. "I need to change. If I'm gonna be exploring the woods today, I don't want to be wearing a dress." With this she storms through the doorway, pulling the door shut behind her. Hook smiles as he hears the inner deadbolt slide into place, and sits reluctantly back in his chair to wait.

oOo

Jaclyn shuts the door behind her, slamming the deadbolt into the locked position. She storms over to the bed, tearing the dress off and throwing it onto the comforter in fury.

"That- that- man! That bastard! What did he think he was doing!? Yanking my dress down and pretending to be asleep! Well, I'll show him!" With this she stalks over to his dresser, and pulls out the smallest pair of pants she can find, and finds that they're still too big for her. She pulls them on and yanks the drawstring as tight as it can go. Then she reaches into another drawer and draws out a shirt that's at least two sizes too large for her. She smiles viciously.

'There. Try to see my body under all of this!' She stands in front of the mirror. 'Something's still wrong. Oh, I know! My hair!' Reaching into the pocket of her waitresses' uniform, she digs around a bit and finally pulls out a hair elastic. She quickly pulls her hair into a ponytail and grins at her reflection.

She's practically swimming in Hook's clothes, and her ponytail has already started to come loose. She nods, convinced that this will put Hook off, at least for a little while. All of a sudden she sees a lump in the pocket of her uniform, and she reaches out and pulls out her MP3 player. With a squeal of joy, she dances around the room in ecstasy.

Quickly she puts the earbuds in and turns on one of her favorite bands, Within Temptation. She sighs as the beat pounds through her head, and she unlocks the door and slips through.

Hook looks up and stares at Jaclyn in shock. His eyes widen at the sight of her wearing his clothes, and he feels the powerful urge to just walk over to her and kiss her silly, knowing that afterwards she would be in no mood to complain about his actions.

Just as he's about to get up, Smee barrels through the door, panting. Hook looks up at him in shock, and his hand strays to the hilt of his sword.

"Is it Pan again?" He asks, and Smee shakes his head vigorously. Hook breathes a sigh of relief. Then his eyes narrow. "Well, what is it, then?"

Smee shuffles his feet awkwardly. "Well, sir, um... the crew- I mean, some members of the crew have been... er, enquiring about possible moments, ah, alone with Miss Cross." His face flushes a deep beet red, and Hook freezes in place. His limbs start to shake at the thought of anyone but him laying their hands on Jaclyn, and he storms past Smee and out the cabin door.

At the sight of their livid captain, all of the men on deck stop what they're doing and face Hook warily. Hook looks them in the eye one by one, and he smiles horribly. "So, I hear some of you are inquiring about Miss Cross." At that moment the crew realizes they're in deep trouble.

oOo

Meanwhile, back in the cabin, Jaclyn sees Hook storm out of the room after hearing Smee say something, and she turns off her player and pulls out the headphones, walking over to the doorway and peering out. She gets there just in time to hear Hook say, "I hear some of you are inquiring about Miss Cross," and she knows that this is one important conversation that she doesn't want to miss.

oOo

Hook's smile slips off of his face like grease, and his eyes bore into the entire crew. "None of you are to touch Miss Cross, nor are any of you to inquire about her. Any kind of assault on her will be considered a personal insult to me." Some of the men immediately nod, while others look at Hook resentfully.

Hook sees this and turns to one of the resentful ones. "Is there something you'd like to say, Mister Jenks?" Jenks nods, crossing his arms over his chest.

"We've not been on land for months, and the men are getting tired of having only each other for company. A lady would be... greatly appreciated by all." Jenks smiles horribly and some of the men around him nod in agreement.

oOo

Jaclyn feels her face growing hot, and she moves closer to the door, not noticing the bottle on the floor in front of her until she trips over it.

The force of her fall sends her out of the cabin and leaves her sprawled on the deck under the watchful eyes of some thirty-odd pirates, all staring at her as if she's a three course meal and they haven't eaten in days.

She stands up embarrassedly, and blushes as she hears the whispers circling the deck.

"She's wearing the captain's clothes..."

"Do ya think they've..."

"Nah, we woulda heard somethin'."

"Who knows? Maybe them girls from the portals do it different."

"Like what ya idjit!?"

Jaclyn plants her hands on her hips indignantly, her blush trailing across her cheeks. "Hey, shut the hell up!" The crew looks up at her in surprise, and Jaclyn scowls at them. "I'm not a slut, I'm not somebody's toy, and I'm definitely not a whore for the crew to use as they like!" At this her blush deepens, but she pushes on nonetheless. "The captain was kind enough to allow me to stay with him instead of making me sleep outside, cause I definitely wouldn't stay anywhere near a bunch of pigs like you!"

With her diatribe over, she stands there panting as if she's just run a marathon, and then she scurries back into the cabin. She shuts the door behind her, and presses her ear to the thick wood so that she can hear what's going on out on the deck.

She hears a deep chuckle, which turns into a full roar of laughter, and Jaclyn realizes with some surprise that it's Hook who's laughing. She grits her teeth angrily, but blushes modestly at his next comment.

"It seems that I'm done here! That girl has just given you such a talking to I don't think anything I could say would make a bigger impression!" His voice returns to its menacing tone, and he says, "however, if the message didn't sink in and you need convincing, I could always- ah, reinforce it a little." Seeing no arguments from the crew, Hook shouts, "I need ten men to ready a boat and load supplies. We're going for a little walk today, so be ready for Pan!"

Jaclyn shudders and opens the door slightly. She looks at the crew, and her eyes lock onto one man in particular. Somehow, instinctively, she knows that this is Jenks, the man who had... enquired about her. Their eyes meet, and Jaclyn shudders as his lips curl in a menacing snarl/smile, and she realizes that this battle is far from over. His lips from the words, 'You're mine.' and Jaclyn's eyes widen in fear as she slams the door. She leans back against the door, her chest heaving, and feels a terror that she has never known grip her chest.

Oooooooh! Jaclyn's in trouble now! What will Hook do about Jenks? Will Jaclyn admit her feelings for Hook? Stay tuned for the next chapter.

(Oh, and I'm not putting in another joke cause some people thought the last one was pointless. If you want me to put one in the next chapter just for giggles, tell me so in your reviews. Otherwise I won't)

Thanks for the R&R, and I'll see you all next chapter! -


	8. I'm a Pirate

Hiyas, my adoring fans! takes a bow I know what you're thinking. (WTF!! How could she write a chapter this short!) or, something along those lines. Well, this isn't really the chapter, it's just kind of a filler thingy that leads up to the naxt chapter which will be done by this Sunday!! I swear it!! So.. i still don't own Peter Pan... sob but i'm working on it! cackles evily anyways, hope you like! R&R people!

rorygal2991

oOo

Jaclyn leans against the door to Hook's cabin, her breathing shallow and panicked, and she slides to the floor. Laying her forehead on her knees, she slowly gains the courage to peek out onto the deck by opening the door slightly. She scans the deck for Jenks and is happy to see that he's nowhere to be found. Suddenly a face presses against the crack, and Jaclyn tumbles backwards with a shriek of surprise.

She yanks the door open angrily to find Hook standing in front of her, his hand over his face to keep from laughing. Seeing Jaclyn in front of him, he quickly stifles his laughter and stands up straight, a hint of a smile still on the corner of his mouth. Jaclyn places her hands on her hips, a frown on her face, and she stomps the floor angrily.

At this purely feminine reaction from a girl like Jaclyn, who wanted everyone to think that she was tough, Hook chuckles again. Once more he tries to cover it with his hand, but Jaclyn had seen.

"It's not funny!" Jaclyn crosses her arms across her chest, glaring at Hook until she thinks that holes will appear in his head.

Hook simply chuckles, turning to walk away. "Well if you're that angry I guess I'll have to go to the island by myself." He puts on a look of disappointment. "And I had a lunch packed and everything. Oh, well," he shrugs his shoulders helplessly; "I guess you don't want to go. I'll go tell Smee that I'll be going alone."

Jaclyn immediately uncrosses her arms, watching Hook walk away in disbelief. "Wait!" she shouts, without thinking. Hook turns around with a smile.

"Yes, Miss Cross?" Jaclyn frowns, hating that she had just acted just like he had wanted her to. She looks down at the floor stubbornly.

"Iwannacometotheislandtoo." She blurts this out very quickly, mumbling it under her breath. Hook leans forward comically, a smile threatening to cross his face.

"What was that, Miss Cross? I couldn't hear you." Jaclyn scowls harder at the floor, and says it a bit louder.

"I wanna come to the island too." Jaclyn doesn't look up as she says this, and Hook gets an idea.

He quietly sneaks forward until he's right in front of Jaclyn and says, "I still couldn't hear you."

With this, Jaclyn looks up angrily, saying, "I wanna come to-" she cuts off suddenly. This is due to the sudden shock of having her lips pressed against Hook's. After Hook had snuck up on her, he had placed himself so close to her that when her head had shot up their lips had met.

'Not the mot honorable thing to do,' Hook thinks as he wraps his arm around Jaclyn's waist and pulls her closer, 'But then again, I'm not an honorable man.' His lips curve upwards as Jaclyn presses herself against him. 'I'm a pirate.'


	9. Things Get Complicated

**WARNING!! IMPORTANT!! READ THIS NOTE FIRST!! Okay, so, for those of you who don't like really intimate stuff or it just makes you uncomfortable, I give you permission to skip this chapter since that's mostly all it is. (sorry folks -') I promised you a chapter though, and I've been waitin' for this to happen the whole time! (dances around) I like how I wrote it though. Anyway, enjoy the chapter! (unless you don't like that kind of stuff, in which case, WHAT ARE YOU STILL DOING HERE!!) Bye-byes my adoring readers!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Peter Pan or any of its characters (sob... I want Hook!) However, I do claim ownership for Jaclyn, Garret, and any other random (or not so random) people I make up. Thanks a lot for reading!**

oOo

At the first brush of his lips, Jaclyn gasps at the exquisite sensations that course through her body. She's momentarily unable to move, and her only thought is: 'Omigod, omigod, omigod... this is wonderful.' Her lips curl upward in a smile as Hook's arm wraps around her waist, and she leans closer to him instinctively, not even understanding what she's doing herself.

All she can understand is her lips and his. 'Oh, god,' she thinks. 'How can he do this to me? I just met him... Yesterday! Oh my god, has it only been that long?! It feels like ages! And yet, it feels like he's familiar to me somehow...'

At that moment Hook's hand moves upwards, tangling in her hair and jerking her head sideways. He barely comes up for air before pressing his lips to hers again, harder and more possessively than before. Jaclyn whimpers helplessly, grabbing at the shoulders of his shirt and pulling him closer, wondering where the cool and collected girl had gone and how she had been replaced by this wild, wanton **(man, I love that word)** woman.

Her breath shallow and ragged, Jaclyn feels helpless, the need to do something more burning inside her. She suddenly smiles with inspiration, parting her lips in a silent invitation, which Hook happily and quickly accepts. His tongue plunges inside her mouth, needy and demanding, and Jaclyn practically melts like ice cream on a summer sidewalk at the outpouring of emotion contained in that kiss.

Suddenly Jaclyn realizes she's had her eyes closed the entire time, and she opens them to find Hook's eyes locked with hers. With a shock she realizes that his eyes have changed. They're now glowing faintly; their vivid blue color even more pronounced, and Jaclyn nearly pushes away from him in surprise. Just then they hear a loud knock on the cabin door and Jaclyn does push away from Hook embarrassedly, his eyes completely forgotten. Before she can leave his side, however, Hook slides his arm around her waist once more and pulls her closer, though not as close as they had been previously.

Smee peeks around the heavy wooden door, and gasps at the sight of Hook with his arm so protectively and intimately wrapped around Jaclyn's waist. He ducks behind the door again, his face a bright red.

"The boat is ready, captain, and a party is ready to escort you and Miss Cross to the island whenever you want."

Hook looks down at Jaclyn gently, his eyes having returned to their normal shade of blue. "Well, Miss Cross? Are you ready to go traipsing **(wow, I'm using so many of my favorite words in this chapter!)** through the unknown jungles of Neverland with a man you've known for only two days?"

Jaclyn, a little stunned by how things had turned around so fast, simply nods. As Hook begins to lead her out of the room, however, she finds her voice. "Why did you kiss me?"

Hook freezes, his hand on the door handle, and Jaclyn sees his jaw tense. He clenches the doorknob so hard his knuckles turn white, and he doesn't say anything. After a while he relaxes, pulling the door open all the way and saying, "Come. We'll soon not have time to go to the island at all."

Jaclyn, a little annoyed that he had just brushed off her question, plants her feet on the floor and stands there, glaring at Hook. "I'm not going anywhere until you tell me why you kissed me," she says stubbornly.

Hook smiles wickedly. "It seems we've had this sort of conversation before," he says, stepping away from Jaclyn and regarding her thoughtfully. "And we both know how that last argument turned out."

Jaclyn blushes at the memory of the kiss, and gasps as Hook steps forward and wraps his arms around her. "Would you like me to kiss you again?" he asks, still smiling. Jaclyn looks up at him in surprise, then anger.

"No! I'm not letting you do anything until you answer my question!" She tries to push Hook away, but only manages to make him hold her tighter which, though it sends delightful shivers up her spine, also manages to get her angrier.

"No! You can't do this!" Jaclyn shouts up at him. Hook looks down at her in surprise, and then laughs.

"I'm a pirate, Miss," he says, still holding her tight to his chest. "We don't know the meaning of the word 'can't'" With this he swoops down, claiming her lips with his own for the second time.

Jaclyn gasps angrily, but that's as far as she gets with protests as Hook presses his body to hers forcefully, stealing not only her arguments but her breath as well.

His hand tightens over her waist, and Jaclyn feels herself craving him more and more, despite her previous statements. Slowly his hand glides up from the base of her spine to her hair, and he presses against the back of her head at the same moment that he sweeps his tongue through her open mouth.

Jaclyn whimpers, her body moving completely against her will, pulling her closer and closer to this dangerous man. All of a sudden she feels a desperate need bubble up inside her and she tears at his clothing, finally managing to get rid of his shirt. As she leans closer to him, running her hands down his chest, Hook breaks the kiss, smiling.

"No, no, no," he says, gazing down at her. "Now it's my turn." With this he reaches for the waistband of her pants, pulling the hem of her shirt **(actually it's his if you remember)** out and running his hand up her side, slowly taking the shirt awkwardly with it.

Jaclyn moans at the feel of his calloused palm on her overly sensitive skin but laughs as Hook struggles to lift her shirt over her head one handed. She pulls away from him, gripping the hem of her shirt and yanking it over her head, finally dropping it and letting it pool on the floor. When the shirt is finally off she presses herself more firmly to him, refusing to be moved. Her hands trace every contour of his back, as if she needs to memorize it before it's too late. At the same time Hook's single hand runs over her body as well, and his lips are on hers once more, but with a fervor that hadn't been there before.

Jaclyn looks into his eyes again suspiciously, and sure enough they're glowing a bright, incandescent blue. For some reason this reminds her of something, maybe some legend she had heard somewhere, but she can't put her finger on it.

All of a sudden Jaclyn pushes away, remembering what they had been about to do before they got "distracted". She breaks free of Hook's arms and blushes, seeing his bare chest and knowing he can see hers. Sort of. She's still wearing a bra, a fact that had annoyed Hook deeply during their kiss.

Jaclyn forces herself to look at his face and says, "I thought we were going to the island today." Hook looks at her in surprise, as if such a thought had never occurred to him.

He looks at her thoughtfully, and Jaclyn notices that his eyes have returned to their normal color. 'Hmmm,' she thinks. 'Interesting.'

Hook suddenly reaches down and grabs his shirt, pulling it over his head and securing his belt around his waist. Jaclyn does the same, sans the belt, and Hook smiles, saying, "Well, Miss Cross? You do want to go to that island, don't you?" He takes her hand and looks at her amusedly. "I think we've wasted enough time, don't you?"

Jaclyn sputters wordlessly, outraged and more than a little hurt that he thought of those two kisses as 'wasted time'. She storms angrily out of the cabin, shouting over her shoulder. "I hate you, Captain Hook! Never kiss me again unless you want to end up on the ground knocked out cold!"

oOo

**Well, there it is folks! For those of you who read it I hope you didn't think it was badly written, cause in my opinion there is nothing worse than a bad intimate scene. Oh, by the way, how would any of you feel about Hook being originally from Scotland? Like, sometimes he slips into the Highland brogue? sorry, but I love highlanders! -' (hugs one of her highlander romance novels from which she gets her inspiration) Answer me in your reviews, and if enough people feel strongly opposed about it I won't put it in, but it would really fit with the storyline I have planned. Anyways, I will see you loverly peoples next chapter. Bye-byes! -**

**rorygal2991**


	10. Island of Dreams

As Jaclyn storms angrily out of the cabin Hook falls into his chair, a small grin on his lips at the sounds of male snickers coming through the open door. Doubtless the crew had heard what Jaclyn had said concerning their little "chat". He chuckles as he imagines the look that is probably on Jaclyn's face at that moment and gets up, pulling on his coat.

He stretches happily, such as a lion would before beginning the hunt. His mouth opens in a huge yawn, and he stretches his arms up to the ceiling. His mind drifts back to Jaclyn's face as she had stormed out of his cabin, and Hook feels a thorn of anxiety pierce his chest. 'What if she truly is angry?' He calms himself, a confident smile replacing the look of fear that had previously filled his face. 'Why does it even matter? It's not like she's stronger than me. I can easily win her over.' His eyes assume a hungry gleam. 'And if that doesn't work, there's always a more... forward approach.'

He walks out of the cabin, a self-satisfied smirk on his face as he takes in the deck of his ship. His eyes immediately lock onto the small figure huddled on the ground, her arms around her chest.

oOo

Jaclyn shivers violently, Hook's baggy clothes swirling around her frame in the wind. She rubs her hands together quickly, hoping that it will bring some warmth into her pale and frozen skin. No such luck.

All of a sudden she sees a shadow approaching, and she looks up to see Hook looking down at her amusedly. A surge of anger rises up in her, and she immediately turns around, looking out at the sea mutinously.

As her anger grows, the waves grow choppy and splash cold seawater against her legs. Quickly she scoots backwards, until her back bumps into Hook, who has suddenly appeared behind her. She gasps suddenly as Hook reaches down and runs the flat aide of his hook across her face.

Jaclyn jumps to her feet as if electrocuted, turning to face Hook angrily. "What's your problem?!" she shouts. Hook blinks blankly at her, and then grins nonchalantly.

"It seems to me that the one between us who has a problem is you, Miss Cross." He leans into her, placing his face a whisper's breadth away from hers.  
Against her will Jaclyn feels her heart speed up, and Hook smiles as if he can hear it as clearly as she can. His smile turns seductive, and he breathes a puff of warm air into her face. "Maybe your problem is one concerning... the heart, maybe?"

Momentarily stunned by Hook's closeness, Jaclyn blinks rapidly, trying to clear her head from the fog clouding her thoughts. As soon as she does, however, she backs up, placing her arms over her chest stubbornly. "I have no problems Captain, especially not concerning my heart. That particular organ is functioning very well still, but thank you for your concern."

Hook smiles, following her backwards and unfolding his arms from where they had been previously; across his chest. His lips, already turned up in a crooked smile, twitch slightly at the corners, as if threatening to break into laughter. "That's not what I meant, Miss Cross, and we both know it."

He finally manages to get the backs of Jaclyn's legs against the gunwale of the ship, and leans up in front of her once more. Placing his hand and hook on either side of her, he rests his weight on the thin wooden railing against Jaclyn's back. Jaclyn blushes fiercely, looking over Hook's shoulder at the mass of men staring at the two of them.

"The crew is watching, Captain," she, struggling to keep her voice cool, "I would appreciate it if you would move away from me now."

She leans farther away, and gasps as she loses her balance, tipping over backwards towards the black water below her. Before she can even scream, however, Hook reaches out and snags the front of her shirt and pulls her back onto the firm deck. In the process, however, he causes her to stumble forward into his arms.

Her face pressed against Hook's strong chest, Jaclyn experiences a brief moment of peace, a feeling of security unfolding in her chest as she takes a deep breath in. The smell of rum, salt, and gunpowder clings to Hook's coat, and Jaclyn closes her eyes with a smile before realizing exactly what she's doing. A blush creeps onto her cheeks and she tries to push away from Hook. All that happens, however, is that he wraps his right arm around her and pulls her closer to him.

He leans down and whispers in her ear, "I can give you the shirt if you like it that much," then straightens abruptly, smiling.

He turns to the rest of the crew assembled on the deck, shouting, "Men! We're going to the island! Now who wants to come and get revenge on that runt of a boy, Peter Pan?!" A great cheer rises up from the men, and Jaclyn struggles futilely to break free of Hook's grip.

All of a sudden she catches the gaze of a man standing all alone on deck, leaning arrogantly against the bulkhead beside him. Though his face is half-hidden in shadow, Jaclyn knows without a doubt that this is Jenks, and a shiver runs down her spine.

She looks pointedly in the opposite direction and, out of the corner of her eye, sees Hook point out a group of six men to go with them.

Pointedly trying to ignore Hook, Jaclyn scans the group morosely. All of a sudden her heart gives a frightening lurch in her chest at the sight of Jenks, standing in the middle of the group and staring at her hungrily. Her breath hitches, and she averts her eyes, though she can still feel his gaze on her.

The rest of the crew slouches off; disappointed that they won't be able to be involved in the possible attack against Pan.

Hook glances down at Jaclyn. "Shall we be off then?"

He quickly spins on his heel, pulling Jaclyn around with him and leading her over to the jolly boat hanging off of the stern of the ship. Jaclyn attempts futilely to dig her heels into the wooden deck, trying to stop Hook. She wasn't going to go on any sort of extended rendezvous with Jenks around!

To her utter anger and embarrassment, Hook merely swings her up over his shoulder with a grunt, continuing on as if nothing had happened.

Jaclyn shrieks in annoyance. "Put me down, you bastard!"

Hook tuts at her under his breath. "Such vulgar words from the mouth of a lady," he says with a smile. "I did warn you that I had no qualms about doing this again, you know." His hand slides up her thigh and rests on the curve of her hip, his fingers toying with the waistband of her pants playfully. "Actually, I kind of like it."

Jaclyn stiffens, her skin heating under his touch, and reaches over to slap his hand away. "Stop that! You're the one who told me that the time we spent together was 'wasted', so don't start getting all involved all of a sudden!"

Hook's chest rumbles with laughter. "Is that what you were so angry about? I can assure you, I don't feel that any time with you is 'wasted' at all." He pinches her calf mischievously. "If it was, though, I'll have to 'waste' a lot more time during the next few days."

Jaclyn grits her teeth stubbornly, grinding her molars until she can almost feel them crumbling away. _'He is not going to win me over,'_ she thinks angrily. _'He's just saying things that he thinks will get me to drop my guard, but it won't work. I know his game. Kiss me, make me angry, and then make up to get me in his good graces again until he wants to kiss me again. No way am I falling for that trick!'_

A small part of her brain says rebelliously,_ 'but what else do you have to do here? Honestly, you aren't planning on going back home, you're too old to join Peter and his gang (not that you would want to anyway), and joining the crew would just invite more advances from them! Why not just take what he has to offer?'_

Jaclyn gives herself a mental shake, not even wanting to consider 'what he has to offer'. She lets her head hang down towards the deck, Hook's shoulder pushing against her stomach and her thoughts still undecided.

All of a sudden she feels Hook grab her waist with both hands and lift her up off of his shoulder. She sighs with relief, expecting to be placed on the ground, but is instead passed down to yet another sailor standing in the jollyboat hanging off of the side of the ship.

The man places her on one of the seats and then makes room for the captain, who climbs down into the boat with the practiced ease that comes of being out at sea for so long. Jaclyn turns to him sulkily. "I could have gotten in by myself, you know."

Hook eyes her with some amusement. "I know. I just enjoyed seeing your expression, my dear."

Jaclyn glowers at him, trying as hard as she can to burn holes through his head. When that doesn't work she simply sits back on her seat and gazes out at the island as the jollyboat is lowered into the water.

Her angry grimace turns to a look of wonder as she sees the sparkling blue water surrounding the island, and the bright green foliage covering the land. From her distance she can't see many details, but patches of pinks and reds burst forth from between the trees and spill onto white, sandy beaches. Farther down the coast, almost too far for her to see, is a sharp cliff face rising up out of the water, and Jaclyn can only imagine that that is where the harbor and town are.

Her heart gives a small flutter of anticipation at the thought of being able to see some people other than Hook and his pirates, and Hook leans down beside her. Almost as if he's reading her mind he says, "Getting tired of us already? Don't bother looking for new places to live; I won't be letting you go anytime soon."

Far from making her less worried, this comment sends a chill of foreboding through Jaclyn, and she turns her gaze back to the island. Catching the direction of her gaze, Hook leans beside her again. The boat lurches forward as two men start pulling on their oars and Hook says quietly, "I wouldn't look so lovingly at that island. There are many hidden dangers there that even I try to avoid."

Jaclyn looks at him in disbelief. "Like what? That island is the least threatening thing I've seen here yet." She looks pointedly at Hook's metal appendage, and smirks when an angry tinge appears on his cheeks.

He grits his teeth, and points towards the island. "On that island, there are lakes filled with poison, mermaids who would drown you as soon as look at you, living plants who take pleasure in strangling people, and an entire area of the forest where the vilest creatures roam free. Besides those, there are also the Lost Boys, natives, and that blasted crocodile."

Jaclyn blinks in shock. "All of those things are on that island? But I always thought that Neverland was, like, a beautiful place with no dangers where you live forever."

Hook stares at her for a moment, then bursts out laughing, clutching his sides and bending over in mirth. Jaclyn blushes. "What? That's what I heard!"

Hook finally sits up and wipes his eyes, still chuckling. "Then you heard wrong my dear. It's true that you live forever in Neverland, but that is only because men dream of living forever. There are, however, many evils here for the same reason."

Jaclyn looks up at him in confusion. "What do dreams have to do with anything?"

Hook looks down at her with a smile and says, "This world is linked with the real world through dreams. That is why that blasted flying boy can travel back and forth, because he is nothing but childish dreams, when I would never be able to because I have no dreams at all." He turns away from Jaclyn and stares at the island morosely. "I don't know why I still bother to go to that island anymore."

Seeming to get over his sadness, Hook looks back at her. "If someone somewhere in the real world, let's say a child, where to dream of a flying horse, that dream would travel across the bridge between worlds and take the form of a pegasus in Neverland."

Jaclyn frowns, her brow furrowing in concentration. "But then why isn't this place packed with different creatures? I mean, this island has been the gathering place of people's dreams for millions of years! What—" She stops as Hook lays his finger on her lips.

"I don't know the exact details of how it works, but I believe it has to be a very strong dream for it to take shape. For example, dragons have been legends dreamed of throughout history, so—"

"Wait!" Jaclyn says in shock. "There are dragons on the island?! Can I see one? Are they huge? Do they breathe fire? Can they fly? Are there—" Hook groans, cutting her off.

"I think I liked you better when you hated me." He sighs resignedly. "To answer your questions; yes, there are dragons, yes, you will see one when we get to town, no, they aren't huge, they would barely fit in the palm of your hand, yes, they breathe fire, and yes, they can fly. Any more questions?"

Jaclyn sits back in amazement. There were still so many questions she wanted to ask him, but at that moment she lurches forwards in her seat as the boat bumps against the sandy shore. She blinks; where had the time gone? Shaking her head, she stands up and leaps out of the boat, landing in the shallow surf beside the boat and splashing water everywhere.

"Wha—" Hook splutters, water dripping down his front. Jaclyn grins mischievously at him and sticks out her tongue at him. Immediately Hook's eyes brighten to a vivid blue and he growls hungrily.

"Mind you put that tongue back in your mouth, Miss Cross, before I put it to better use," he says with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

Jaclyn immediately snaps her mouth shut and scampers up the beach, and Hook smiles at her retreating figure with a grin. _'Well what do you know? This trip might actually be some fun after all.'_


	11. Coconuts and Feelings

Hi folks! well, i felt sooo bad for leavin ya'll hanging with chapter nine that i decided to give you an early Christmas present and post this one superfast! i was planning on getting this up by saturday, but it turns out it didn't need as much work as i thought! - have fun and i hope you like it!

* * *

Hook steps lightly out of the boat, taking great care to land on the sand and not in the water, and then starts up the beach in the direction Jaclyn had been headed. When he reaches the jungle without catching sight of her, he begins to get nervous. What if she had wandered in to the jungle alone?

Suddenly a coconut falls from the sky to land at his feet with a thud, and Hook looks up in surprise to see Jaclyn sitting at the top of a tree with an armful of coconuts, glaring at him. He laughs uproariously at the sight and begins to walk towards the tree, when another coconut hits the ground in front of him, halting his progress.

"Why this sudden show of anger? I thought we were finally coming to a point where we could be civil," Hook says with a grin, shielding his eyes against the sun in order to catch a glimpse of her face.

Jaclyn glowers down at him. "I do not take well to sexual innuendos of any kind, Captain. You'd best remember that from now on." Hook smiles innocently up at her.

"Oh, really? But I had so many more!" He winks conspiratorially at her, holding out a hand to her with a smile. "Would you please come down now, Miss Cross? We really must get camp set up before nightfall, and we can't do that if you're up a tree."

Jaclyn pouts, letting out a huge sigh before beginning her descent from the tree. Hook waits patiently at the foot of the tree for Jaclyn to finish climbing down, and then steps aside to let her begin walking back to the boat. Looking over her shoulder suspiciously, Jaclyn takes one step forward before yelping in shock when Hook reaches out and hits her backside lightly.

She spins around, blushing and infuriated, and Hook simply shrugs his shoulders and grins. "You only forbade sexual innuendos, Miss Cross. You said nothing about physical contact."

Jaclyn's jaw drops open, and she turns huffily on her heel and stomps off down the beach in anger, muttering darkly under her breath.

oOo

Now that she had been properly humiliated, Jaclyn supposed Hook would leave her alone for at least a little while. Her breath catches in her chest at the thought of Hook, and she feels an icy tendril of fear curl around her heart at the realization that she might be falling in love with him.

Her heart pounds at the thought, and she shakes her head forcefully. She couldn't fall in love with him! He was probably over two hundred years old and she was only nineteen; there age difference alone made the idea seem laughable. Ruefully, though, Jaclyn admits to herself that that's not the only reason.

The truth is, if she falls in love with Hook, she'll be giving her heart away to someone she doesn't even understand, much less trust. If she gives her heart to Hook, there's a good chance that it won't come back to her whole.

The same thing had happened with her father. She had once trusted him to be responsible and not drink and had left for a few days on a school trip. When she had come back, however, all of their money had been spent on alcohol, every picture of her mother had been smashed, and as soon as she had walked in the door her father had gotten up and beaten her until she couldn't get up off of the floor.

She had lost a piece of her heart that day, and she never wanted it to happen again. She had learned that trusting people with her feelings never ended well, so she would just have to force herself to remain detached when it came to James Hook.

Squaring her shoulders with a new resolve, she walks back to the boats, only to see that the rest of the pirates who had been chosen to come on this trip have arrived, and all of the equipment that had been loaded into the boat has been piled up on the beach. The other men's eyes immediately find her, and Jaclyn gulps as she realizes that Jenks isn't the only one still harboring less-than-honorable feelings towards her.

Trying to slow her breathing, she turns around and steps forward, only to find herself with her nose pressed into the wide expanse of the captain's chest for the second time that day. His scent wraps around her, and it's all she can do to remain standing as he reaches down to run his hand down the curve of her back with a chuckle.

"You seem to have a unique fascination with my chest today, Miss Cross. Might you have changed your mind about the state of our relationship?"

Jaclyn lets a deep breath out and steps away from Hook. Looking up into his eyes, she says, "I don't think it's a good idea to get physically or romantically involved, captain. If we could simply remain acquaintances, or even friends, that would be preferable."

Hook smiles suggestively. "I'm afraid that isn't an acceptable agreement, Miss Cross. As long as there is breath in my body I plan to make you mine." He leans down close to her and smiles. "And believe me, Miss Cross; I will live for many years to come." With this he does something gentle and wholly unexpected. He leans down farther and presses a chaste kiss on Jaclyn's lips, and then pulls back and runs his hand down her face affectionately before going over to help the men unpack all of the camping equipment.

Jaclyn stands there in shock, her lips parted in surprise and fear. A domineering, pigheaded man she could handle, but a gentle and sensitive one might bring her to her knees.

She would have to rethink her strategy, Jaclyn thinks nervously.

oOo

After several hours of work putting up tents and carrying food and water, Jaclyn stands up and wipes sweat off of her forehead. Letting out a puff of air, she smiles at the energy now humming through her. Physical labor always did that to her, and she loved it.

Looking around her and swinging her arms at her sides, Jaclyn sees that there's nothing more that she can do to help and walks over to one of the vacant tents to set up a sleeping area for herself.

With a smirk she realizes that Hook would probably be expecting her to stay in a tent with him, but that is totally out of the question. A situation like that will only lead to temptation; temptation that she doesn't need. Pushing aside the flap of the tent closest to her, she sees that it's empty and climbs inside. What she doesn't see, however, is Jenks standing very still, smiling and watching her as she ducks under the tent flap.

As soon as Jaclyn has determined that the tent is completely vacant, she steps out and goes over to pile of blankets for members of the 'expedition' to use. Reaching out a hand, she grabs hold of a blanket on top of the pile at the same time that another pirate reaches out and takes hold of the same one.

When neither of them relinquishes their hold, the man smiles and leans in close to her, saying with an evil grin, "Do ye wish to share a blanket, lass?"

Jaclyn gasps indignantly at the double meaning, and glares at him. "No thank you sir, so I would appreciate it if you would let go now. I really need to get my sleeping area set up, and for that I kind of need a blanket."

She tugs lightly at the blanket, but the man doesn't budge. Instead he pulls back harder, sending Jaclyn stumbling forward into his arms. The pirate begins to wrap his arms around her, but before he can do so Jaclyn slams her knee between his legs as hard as she can.

The man lets out a choked gurgle, crossing his hands over himself and doubling over in pain, releasing the blanket at the same time. With an air of stately calm, Jaclyn bends down and picks up the soft cloth before turning and walking away, saying over her shoulder, "never come on to me again if you'd like a certain body part to remain intact. The next time I won't be so nice."

Sticking her nose in the air, Jaclyn stomps away, aware of the multiple shocked gazes sent her way by the crew. Jenks, standing in the shadow of the forest near Jaclyn's tent, lets out a small chuckle.

"It seems that taking you will be a more exciting challenge than I had hoped, Miss Cross," he whispers maliciously. "But that just makes it all that much more exciting when I finally win."

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ohhhhhh! what's gonna happen next? no one knows but meeeee! heeheehee! don't worry, i won't leave ya hangin for long. WARNING: Jenks is gonna be important, so watch out! see ya'lls next chapter! 


	12. Forever and a Day

**Disclaimer: I don't own Peter Pan (but I wish I owned Captain Hook). I also do not own Inkheart. (Darn.)**

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Hook stands on the beach and chuckles at the sight of the pirate who she had fought with over the blanket limping away towards the other side of camp. Slowly his gaze drifts back to Jaclyn, and he frowns at the sight of her ducking into a tent farthest from all of the others.

_'So you're trying to escape me, Miss Cross?'_ Hook chuckles softly. _'It won't be as easy as that I'm afraid, though I will have to wait until dark to come for you, my dear. Before then I have matters concerning the crew to attend to.'_ He smiles darkly in anticipation and starts to walk back over to his men. _'Until tonight, Jaclyn.'_

oOo

Jaclyn, completely unaware of the two male interests directed towards her, spreads her blanket out on the floor of her tent and lies down with a sigh. As she stares up at the rough canvas above her head, she wishes regretfully that she had asked the Captain for a book she could have borrowed while they were on this 'trip'.

Back in the real world she had always kept at least two books with her at all times, usually as an escape from the problems in her life at the time. Not that it ever worked, but nothing else had either.

Jaclyn shivers, remembering her old life with painful clarity. The daily blows from her father, the two jobs she had to work in order to pay for food, and the daily tormenting from the other kids because she was poor. With a shudder Jaclyn shakes off all of those unhappy thoughts of her past and leans back on her blanket comfortably; to her pleasure not even a stray rock presses against her back as she stares up at the weather-worn canvas above her.

Suddenly the tent flap opens, and Jaclyn looks up in surprise, only to scoot backwards in shock at the sight of Jenks' face poking through the opening in the tent face. Smiling wickedly at the scared look on her face, Jenks pushes the rest of the way into the tent and then lets the flap fall back into place.

Jaclyn quickly clambers to her feet, looking around her for something she can use for a weapon while keeping one eye on Jenks warily. Though she still is almost unnaturally fearful of him, Jaclyn admits silently to herself that he is indeed handsome. With chocolate skin, dark brown eyes and a puckish smile, he probably could get any woman he wanted, whenever he wanted them. However, Jaclyn had never been swayed by a pretty face before, and damned if she's going to start now.

"What are you doing in here?" Jaclyn stammers; panicking when she can't find anything to defend herself with.

Jenks leans back on his heels nonchalantly and crosses his arms over his chest, throwing a malicious smile her way. "I think you know why I'm here, but the real question is: why aren't you more scared?" He steps towards her menacingly and she stumbles frantically backwards; his face lights up like a child's when they've been given permission to break a toy (1). "I see you aren't as brave as you'd like to have people think, eh, Miss Cross?" His eyes narrow. "Good. I don't like receiving things half as much as I like..." With a speed that's almost uncanny, Jenks steps forward until his chest is pressed against Jaclyn's and wraps his arms solidly around her waist. "... taking."

With this he leans down and seizes her mouth with his, forcing his tongue between her lips and simultaneously rubbing his hips against hers forcefully. Jaclyn utters a sob of protest, trying to shove him away, but he's simply too strong and too determined to be moved.

His mouth sucks hard on her lips, leaving them bruised and sore before he moves down to her throat, licking a warm trail across her skin and at the same time tearing open the front of her shirt violently. Jaclyn tugs at his hair furiously, trying in vain to stop him, or at least to keep him for running his tongue any lower.

Jenks merely chuckles against the skin of her collarbone, and Jaclyn shivers in revulsion at the feel of his heated breath across her flesh. With a sudden jerk, Jenks yanks Jaclyn down onto the blanket and places himself above her, leaning once more towards her mouth.

Jaclyn turns her head aside at the last moment, but Jenks merely changes direction and returns to her throat, running his tongue in spiraling patterns on her skin as he moves lower and lower. Jaclyn attempts to sit up, but one of his arms presses down on her shoulders with amazing strength, keeping her pinned. All of a sudden Jaclyn remembers her voice and draws in a deep breath, ready to scream the loudest she can, only to have Jenks immediately stifle her yells with his mouth.

Tears of anger leak from her eyes as his tongue runs over her teeth, and a smile curves his lips as his right hand slides between their bodies. Her eyes shooting open in embarrassment, Jaclyn squirms frantically, thrashing underneath Jenks in a last ditch effort to get away from him, and finally he seems to get tired of it.

Reaching above Jaclyn's head with his left hand, he grabs her wrists and presses them to the floor of the tent while reaching for the blanket at the same time. Quickly and efficiently he tears off a strip of cloth and ties her wrists together, so tightly that she can't even rub them against each other.

Finally satisfied that her hands are subdued, he places a knee on either side of her legs and then hooks his ankles over hers, effectively keeping her legs still while his right hand once more returns to push beneath the drawstring belt of her pants. Jaclyn sobs in terror, and Jenks removes his mouth for a moment to lick away the tears.

Seeing her chance and seizing it, Jaclyn opens her mouth and lets out the loudest scream she's ever made. After a couple of seconds later a faint roar that sounds remarkably like the captain can be heard from the other side of camp, and Jenks looks murderously down at Jaclyn.

"You're dead if I ever catch you alone again, girl," he growls, but grins maliciously at the last second and presses his fingers between her legs possessively. Another roar echoes across the camp, closer this time, and Jenks reluctantly climbs off of Jaclyn, leaving her panting and shaking in revulsion. He smiles horribly down at her before turning away. Before he runs out of the tent, however, he says, "on second thought, I might not kill you right away. There are much better things to be done with a fiery woman like you. All of which require their participants to be alive."

Jaclyn watches, petrified, as he blows her a kiss and slips out of the tent. A sob rises up in her throat, and she croaks, "Captain?" Her voice gains some strength, and she says again, "Captain? Hook?"

Tears spill down her cheeks and she hiccups violently when there's no response. Her vision blurs as she wails, "James!!"

Hook enters the tent, panting with exertion after running across the entire camp at breakneck speeds and with anger towards whoever it was that had caused Jaclyn to scream so loudly. His eyes focus on Jaclyn sitting huddled on the blanket with tears on her cheeks, and he immediately kneels down in front of her.

Opening his arms to her, he lets out his breath in a rush of air as Jaclyn immediately leaps into his embrace, her voice laced with sobs and punctuated by hiccups as she tries to speak. "Why -hic- didn't you -hic- answer me?" She whimpers, pressing her face against his chest and wrapping her arms around him in fear.

Hook chuckles kindly, burying his nose in her hair and taking a deep breath. "I was a little distracted. I'm sorry, Miss Cross." He pushes Jaclyn backwards and looks her in the eye wryly. "Or should I say Jaclyn, since we seem to be on a first name basis now?"

Jaclyn blushes as she remembers herself shouting Hook's name and sniffles quietly, moving closer to him instinctively. Hook smiles down at her and pulls her towards him once more, rubbing his hands back and forth up and down her back and burying his face against her neck. Jaclyn stiffens, the action bringing back memories of Jenks, but soon the pleasure wipes out any bad feelings she might be having.

Suddenly more tears run down her face and drip onto the back of Hook's head, and he lifts his face to hers with concern. All of a sudden his eyes widen and he gasps. "I just realized I never asked what happened! Tell me everything." Jaclyn feels her lower lip tremble as more tears threaten to spill over, and takes a deep breath in.

"It was... Jenks," she says slowly, sucking in a breath at the sound of his name. Hook's eyes grow hard and cold and Jaclyn sees his hand inch towards his pistol, as if he's planning to leap out of the tent right that minute and hunt Jenks down.

Taking a deep breath and steeling her courage, Jaclyn reaches out and takes hold of Hook's hand, stopping its movement towards the gun, before continuing her retelling. "He came into the tent when I was sitting here, and then he... he..." Jaclyn feels her shoulders start to shake at the memory of the terrible helplessness she had felt, and with some shock she realizes Hook is shaking as well, only from what appears to be anger.

She looks up at his face in curiosity and her eyes widen at the sight of the fury on his countenance. _'Is that because of what Jenks did? Is he angry on my behalf?_' A warm feeling tingles through her body at the thought, and her heart melts with compassion towards Hook.

All of a sudden Hook stands up, fumbling with his pistol once more and muttering furiously under his breath, "I'll kill that sonofabitch myself... attacking Jaclyn... taking her... under my supervision... I'll kill you, you sonofabitch!" This last part he shouts out loud, and then he stomps out of the tent as he loads his pistol. Jaclyn hurries after him, latching onto his arm and digging her feet into the sand, trying in vain to halt his progress.

Snorting like a bull in a bullfight, Hook merely pulls Jaclyn along behind him, ignoring her complaints and moving towards the forest, which is darkening as the sun sinks over the horizon.

Jaclyn pulls harder, saying, "please stop, Captain! You wouldn't be able to find him easily even during the day, and trying to find him at night would be impossible! Please wait!" Jaclyn gives a sharp tug just as Hook stops, sending him tumbling backwards onto the sand and on top of her.

They roll a few feet and then stop, coated in sand and so tangled up in each other that Jaclyn can't tell where one of them begins and the other ends. She blushes deeply and begins disentangling herself, but Hook merely wraps his arms around her and holds her in place, staring into her eyes with an intensity that frightens her as much as it excites her.

Suddenly he lets go of her and rolls away, standing up and brushing off whatever sand he can, but it proves to be too sticky to remove. Jaclyn props herself up on her elbows, staring in shock as Hook begins to strip off his clothes before her very eyes. Blushing, she hides her face behind her hands, but Hook simply reaches out with a chuckle and parts them gently.

"Getting modest, are we Miss Jaclyn? Don't worry so much or you'll grow old before your time!" Against her will Jaclyn smiles and looks shyly up at Hook, only to gasp at the sight of the clean white boxers he's wearing. **(You dirty-minded readers! I know what you were thinking she would see. Tsk tsk!)**

"Where did you get those!" she shouts, jumping to her feet in shock. After the time she's spent in Neverland, seeing a pair of such blatantly normal boxers is a huge shock.

Hook grins at the look on her face, and also the area she happens to be ogling. "I happen to prefer comfort to keeping the worlds separate, so I made a short trip to your world. When we get back to the ship you will see what I also picked up for you."

Jaclyn gasps, her eyes going wide at the prospect of seeing things from her own world, and then her mind returns to being preoccupied with Hook's state of undress. Demurely she lowers her gaze to her feet and digs her toe into the sand in embarrassment. Hook smile at her shy ness and walks over to her quietly.

Suddenly Jaclyn feels herself lifted off of the ground and settled in Hook's arms, and she utters a small yelp of protest as he begins to walk into the churning surf. Wrapping her arms around Hook's neck, Jaclyn pulls herself as far from the surface of the water as she can.

Hook looks down at her, puzzled. "You never said you were afraid of water, Miss Cross." Jaclyn turns her head away embarrassedly.

"It's not that I'm afraid. I just..." Her voice trails off and Hook leans down closer.

"What was that? I didn't quite hear you the first time."

Jaclyn frowns at him and says, "I can't swim." Hook blinks in surprise, and then bursts out laughing.

"You can't swim, and yet here you are, in the arms of a _pirate_ of all people!" Suddenly Jaclyn realizes that they've reached deeper water, and the waves are lapping at her backside. In the light of the rising moon she clings tighter to Hook's neck, but he simply disentangles her arms. "Miss Cross, you are choking me! I guess I'm going to have to teach you how a pirate learns how to swim." With this he dumps her into the ocean unceremoniously.

Jaclyn shrieks as the cold water envelopes her, and she thrashes around for a moment until Hook grabs the collar of her shirt and lifts her up. Her feet stretch downward and she sees with embarrassment that the water is only up to her waist. She turns around and glares at Hook, although she has to squint because the light is so poor. "How could you do that?!"

Hook smiles seductively, leaning close to her. "Because if you were still in my arms I wouldn't be able to do this." And with that comment he presses his lips firmly to hers, and doesn't release them for a full minute.

Jaclyn leans back on her heels in shock, and all she can manage is a loud "Whuh!" (2) Hook smiles, crossing his arms across his chest with a satisfied nod. "There. Now that we have that out of the way, I can 'teach' you."

Jaclyn narrows her eyes at Hook, not liking how he used the word 'teach'. With a lecherous grin, Hook steps towards her, and Jaclyn stumbles backwards deeper into the water. Her feet are suddenly swept out from under her by a passing wave and Hook reaches out to catch her.

With the front of her shirt balled up in his fist, Hook smiles and lifts hard, causing the shirt to slip over Jaclyn's head. With a shocked gasp, Jaclyn reaches up to cover her chest. That evening in her tent, Jaclyn had changed out of her bra, so now she was left standing in nothing but her underwear and pants with the full moon shining down on her skin, her arms crossed in front of her chest, and her face a bright cherry red.

Hook's eyes widen in shock, not expecting that sight at all. He eyes Jaclyn's curves greedily, however, and steps closer to her. Jaclyn's eyes widen in fear, and she backs up one more step. Hook, sensing her nervousness, reaches out a hand to her, saying gently, "trust me." Jaclyn's eyes widen in awe, and warily she reaches out a hand and places it in his.

Hook glances down at her other arm, which has remained stoically in place, and raises an eyebrow, looking at her face with exasperation. "The other arm, Miss Cross. Down at your side." He says this last part almost menacingly, and Jaclyn blushes as she drops the offending limb. Hook's eyes widen in shock at the sight of her bare chest and he pulls her against him. Hardness to softness. His eyes are lit with the same blue gleam that they had been in his cabin, and he leans close to Jaclyn's ear.

"I'm about to take you on an adventure, beauty. One from which there is no turning back. Will you follow me?"

Jaclyn looks up at him nervously, and then leans forward through the waves still splashing around her and presses her lips gently to his. "Forever and a day."

**(1) – a line from the book ****Inkheart**** that I really liked. Just thought it would fit.**

**(2) – a sound of exclamation, usually in surprise or shock.**

**okay, folks! that's the chapter! please, please, please R&R, and I hope you like the story so far! that's all for now, bye! (oh, and just to tell you, it's not over yet!)**


	13. Captain's Girl?

**Disclaimer : Still don't own Peter Pan (sigh) or any of its characters. I didn't like how Jaclyn was so forward in the last chapter, though surprisingly no one else seemed to care. Oh, well. I came up with a reason anyway. I also addressed some other problems Alteng pointed out to me. (thank you soooo much for showing me those!) Sorry for the wait, but here it is! Chapter 13! Enjoy…**

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Hook looks at Jaclyn in shock, confused at her blatant forwardness. Her eyelids have lowered seductively and she's pressed herself firmly against him, her hands trailing slow patterns across his tanned back. He tilts Jaclyn's chin upwards and looks at her eyes, groaning at the sight of the bright yellow irises, which match perfectly the color of the moon shining on her face.

Sighing at the realization that he won't be able to do much of anything with her for the rest of the evening, Hook puts his hand on one of her shoulders and pushes her backwards. Jaclyn whimpers like a lost puppy and reaches for him once more, her eyes glazed over as if she's in a trance, but Hook keeps her firmly in place by pressing his hook against her stomach lightly.

Jaclyn looks up at him in shock, her lower lip trembling. "Why don't you want me to touch you?" She whines, still struggling to reach him.

Hook sighs again and shakes his head. "That damn moon. Why did it have to come up right then? Why not even a couple of minutes later?" He removes his hand from Jaclyn's shoulder, but leaves his hook against her stomach, reaching up and running his hand through his hair. Closing his eyes and letting out a sigh, he mentally curses himself for forgetting the moon's adverse effect on newcomers to Neverland.

For anyone who has been in Neverland for less than three days, the light of the moon acts as a powerful aphrodisiac, rendering the victim unable to control their hormones and basically making them throw themselves on any member of the opposite sex they can find. It would be wrong of him to take advantage of her at this time.

Letting out another deep sigh, Hook looks back at Jaclyn and once again pushes her further backwards. Though his pirate nature continues screaming, _to hell with honor! Take her now and damn the consequences!_, his conscience convinces him otherwise.

Jaclyn looks up at him, confused, and strains against his hook once more. The tip presses against her skin, and Hook sucks in a breath as a thin trickle of blood oozes from a shallow cut on Jaclyn's stomach. Immediately he lifts her up and flings her over his shoulder, beginning to carry her back to the camp where he can leave her somewhere restrained to keep her from doing herself any harm.

Finally reaching Jaclyn's tent, Hook lays her on the blanket gently, though the sight of her lying on a (albeit makeshift) bed bare from the waist up sends a sort of pain through his lower abdomen, somehow he resists, getting up and leaving the tent. Turning back to the tent flap, he takes a strong piece of rope from the ground beside the tent and loops it through the holes in the tent door, securing the entrance.

He feels Jaclyn throw herself at the doors of the tent, and flinches when she starts sobbing.

"Why won't you let me touch you?!" she moans, throwing herself more forcefully against the tent. Frantically she grabs at the pliable fabric, yanking on it futilely, until finally Hook simply sits down ten yards away from the tent and faces in the opposite direction, staring out at sea listening to Jaclyn's cries slowly subside as she eventually falls fast asleep.

oOo

Jaclyn sits upright in her tent, eyes wide and unfocused from a restless sleep. While her mind is still cloudy with the usual early morning fog that always clings to her thoughts right when she wakes up she walks over to the tent flap and yanks on it; it won't open.

_'Okaaay… What's going on?'_ Jaclyn tugs harder on the door, but it still doesn't move. Throwing herself at the doorway, the last of the drowsiness leaves her mind. Suddenly she remembers her actions of the previous night and gasps, halting her attack on the tent for a moment.

"What was I thinking?" Jaclyn wonders aloud, and jumps as she hears a tired voice outside her tent.

"You weren't," is the response that comes through the tent fabric, followed by a groan as the person outside stands up. "I take it this means I can let you out?"

Jaclyn suddenly recognizes the voice. "Captain? You're the one who locked me up in here?" For a moment she feels a surge of anger, but immediately remembers her actions the night before and realizes he had probably done her a favor.

"Yes, actually, I did, though 'locked' doesn't quite seem to be the proper term to use in this case." Jaclyn hears the sound of rope being pulled through the tent fabric and squints in the bright sunlight that streams through the doorway. "I felt that in your 'condition' it wouldn't have been prudent to allow you to wander around on your own."

Slowly she becomes adjusted to the light, and when she does she grins at the sight of Hook looking down at her. She smiles wryly.

"I have to agree with that comment, Captain. I-" She stops, puzzled by the look on Hook's face. His eyes are fixed quite a bit lower than her face and they've started to gleam red, and Jaclyn looks down nervously.

She shrieks at the sight of her completely bare chest, ducking back into the tent with a deep blush. Pulling the tent flaps closed behind her, she tries to calm her breathing as her heart struggles to restart.

Quickly she steps into the middle of the tent and picks up the shirt on the floor beside her and pulls it on, silently wailing, _'why me!? Every time I see Hook something embarrassing happens!'_ Warily she pokes her head out of the tent and sees Hook standing a ways off down the beach, staring out at the waves.

She steps out into the open, relishing the feel of the warm sun on her body after the confines of the tent. Her feet sink into the sand, and she slowly walks over to Hook. Just before she reaches him he stiffens, as if sensing her presence, and then turns around, looking sheepish.

"Miss Cross. I apologize for the- ahem –incident just now. I should have realized-" Jaclyn holds up a hand with a grin of her own.

"No apologies are necessary, Captain. It was my fault completely." Her smile turns sardonic. "Next time I'll be careful to wear clothes before going into public."

Hook's smile remains, but his eyes gleam again. "Personally I would prefer you didn't, but…" He chuckles and begins walking towards camp, though Jaclyn can't help but wonder if he's really joking.

With a nervous laugh she falls into step on his left and takes his arm when it's offered, her mind beginning to struggle over interpreting Hook's actions the night before. Was it just lust she had seen in his eyes last night in the water? Or could it have possibly been something more?

Her mind instinctively shies away from the other L-word, and it also immediately rejects any possibility of Hook feeling any attraction to her but a physical one. After all, she knew for a fact that he was physically attracted to her. Why else would he have done what he did last night? But lust and love are so easily confused it's often hard to tell the difference.

_'No. Captain Hook feels nothing but lust for me. That's the only possibility that makes sense. I mean, honestly; how could a man like him feel in any way close to me?'_ She finds with some shock that her heart weighs heavier on her at this realization, and worries that her own feelings might again be growing.

At that moment a breeze ruffles her hair, and she catches a whiff of the scent she is coming to love coming off of Hook's coat. A mixture of rum, gunpowder, and man, it should repulse her, the rum an unhappy reminder of her old life, but surprisingly it appears to do just the opposite. It attracts her instead of disgusting her. Taking another subtle sniff, she realizes the difference.

Back home the house had smelled of beer, which has a strong and sour smell, but the smell of rum is different. It reminds her more of apple cider, with a strong warm scent heavy with memories of cold winter nights snuggled in a blanket in front of the fireplace, or the feeling she had gotten when her mom hugged her when she was little. It smells like home to her; the home she had momentarily had back in her world while her mother was alive.

Suddenly Jaclyn's mind jumps to a completely different subject, one that had been pestering her for some time. She looks up at Hook and asks, "how old are you?"

Hook stiffens beside her and stops walking, and for a minute Jaclyn is sure she's just said something horribly wrong. She frantically backtracks, stuttering, "I'm sorry! I shouldn't have asked that. It was really rude and I apologize and I hope you can forgive me and-" Hook laughs, laying a finger across her lips and silencing her frantic pleas.

"No offense was meant in that comment, Miss Cross, and I know that as well as you. Please, never worry over upsetting me if you have something on your mind." He starts walking again, this time moving his hooked hand around to Jaclyn's left side and resting the outside of the metal appendage against her skin. He pulls her along behind him, and Jaclyn stumbles along in an attempt to keep up with his long strides.

Hook continues, "I'm not sure how long exactly I've been here, but the one thing I do know is that when I first traveled to Neverland I was thirty-five." His expression turns morose. "Who knows how long it's been since then?"

Jaclyn walks along still, pondering this new information. Hook really isn't as old as he had at first seemed. In fact, he's almost twenty years younger than her father; a more than suitable age for her… Violently she tosses that thought out of her head. If she started thinking it would be possible for anything to occur between them, it would only be harder on her when it all ended.

Instead she focuses on her surroundings, seeing with some trepidation the men working around her and remembering their less than friendly reactions to her presence on the Jolly Roger. However, she looks on with shock as some of the men even look at her with admiration.

Hook leans down next to her, whispering with a grin, "they've all no doubt heard about the little- situation -last night between yourself and Jenks. They're probably all amazed that you could fight him off. Among the crew he's a bit of a legend because of his fighting skills." He leans back with a satisfied expression, as if he himself was the one who had earned the men's admiration, instead of Jaclyn.

Suddenly the man who had "fought" with Jaclyn for a blanket walked up to the two of them and Hook stopped walking abruptly, causing Jaclyn to stop as well when he wrapped his arm more tightly around her waist.

"Yes, Mason?" Hook asks, his tone deceptively light and calm, a sure sign that he's on edge.

Jaclyn's eyes widen as she stares up at the giant of a man before her, realizing that this is Alf Mason, one of the few pirates actually mentioned in the story of Peter Pan. Said pirate stands in front of Jaclyn, and she sees with some surprise that he seems almost nervous. Slowly he raises his head to look at her and says, "I just came to 'pologize to ya, lass. I shouldn'a treated ya like I did, and I hope ya could forgive me."

Hook stifles a smirk, and Jaclyn glares at him in reproach. Turning back to Mason, she smiles kindly at him. "I forgive you, Mister Mason. I hope that you can forgive me as well. My actions were also less than honorable, and I was a bit sharp to you." She holds out her hand formally, the smile still on her face.

Mason blushes, running a hand bashfully through his thick, curly brown hair. "Just Mason's fine, lass. Never been anyone who's called me "mister" before." He reaches out a hand warily, as if afraid Jaclyn's going to bite it off, but finally presses his calloused palm to hers in a firm handshake.

When the appendage isn't violently ripped off Mason relaxes, reaching out with his other hand and clapping Jaclyn on the shoulder, almost sending her to her knees with the force of the gesture. "Glad to hear there's no hard feelins, lass. Believe me, if I'd 'a known you was the captain's girl I'd 'a minded my manners from the start." Dropping Jaclyn's hand he turns to Hook and makes a small bow. "Captain," he turns to Jaclyn, "Miss Cross," and then turns around and walks back into camp.

Jaclyn stands there in shock, her jaw agape, with her mind still buzzing with the knowledge that she was now looked at as the "captain's girl". She looks at Hook in anger as he roars with laughter.

"Your face!" He shouts, bending over with the force of his mirth. "I'll be a happy man if I never find myself with an expression like that on my face!" He lets out another belly laugh, his entire frame shaking with laughter.

Jaclyn struggles to keep up her stern glare, but finds Hook's laughter to be infective. Slowly a grin twitches at the corner of her mouth, then a chuckle escapes, until finally she's laughing almost as loud as Hook himself. They stand there, leaning on each other for support, and Jaclyn realizes that she had just made her first friend on the Jolly Roger.

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Author's Note : Well, that's it for now folks, but I'll be trying to get the next chapter out by Monday to make up for the delay with this chapter. Until then I bid you all farewell, and happy pirating! (if that's even a word…)**


	14. Meet the Crew

When their laughter finally dies down, Jaclyn and Hook both look at each other, still smiling. Hook glances over towards camp, and then turns back to Jaclyn and says, "I hope you will forgive me Miss Cross, but it seems we are in need of more supplies." He takes her hands and places a kiss lightly on her knuckles. "While I organize the foraging party, why don't you go back to your tent? A lady like yourself shouldn't have to help with menial chores after the stressful night you had last night."

Jaclyn blushes at the reminder of her actions, but feels her anger rising at Hook's assumption that she would be too tired to do anything productive.

"Actually," she says sweetly, "I think I'll help the crew." She gestures towards a group of three men hunched over a makeshift fire pit, blowing and cursing as curls of smoke rise sporadically from the center of the group. "They appear to need some help, and I have to say I'm pretty good at making fires after years of camping trips."

Hook frowns, but after seeing the set of Jaclyn's jaw, relents with a sigh. "Fine, Miss Cross. I can see this is one point on which we will not agree." Suddenly a wicked gleam enters his eyes, and he reaches out to grab Jaclyn's arm. "But if I let you do this you have to promise me that tonight you'll sleep in my tent." While Jaclyn gapes, speechless, he smirks. "But only so I can protect you, of course."

Angrily wrenching herself out of Hook's grip, Jaclyn shakes her head. "No way," she snarls. "I'll choose freedom over temptation any day!"

Hook grins slowly, "You find me tempting, Miss Cross? I'm flattered."

Jaclyn blushes furiously, and then turns on her heel and storms back in the direction of her tent. She stops suddenly, however, when Hook says quietly, "I'll allow you free reign for the _entire day_ if you agree."

Turning slowly, Jaclyn glares at Hook. "You're a cruel, cruel man," but Hook knows he has her.

"That may be, Miss Cross, but I know how you prefer freedom." He grins slyly at her. "Do we have a deal?"

Jaclyn hesitates for a moment, and then reluctantly holds out a hand. Hook smiles, and instead of raising his hand he holds out his hook, a twisted grin still on his face. After a slight pause, Jaclyn grips the appendage tightly, a pleasant shiver shooting up her spine at the feel of the cold steel on her palm.

Abruptly Jaclyn turns and walks away, muttering mutinously under her breath about "unfair advantages", "egotistical pirates", and other such irritating topics. After she's sure that Hook has walked away in the other direction, Jaclyn slows down and kicks at the sand under her feet, her hands instinctively burying themselves in her pockets.

_'What have I gotten myself into?'_ Jaclyn thinks miserably to herself, and then shakes her head morosely. _'Too late now, anyway. I promised the Captain I'd share his tent if he let me do what I wanted for today, and I'd like the crew to be think of me as honorable."_

With a muted sigh she walks over to her original destination; the men huddled around a barely smoking log and fumbling with flint and steel, cursing when they couldn't get the fire lit.

With a chuckle at their antics, Jaclyn approaches the group, and then when none of them hear her she clears her throat loudly. Quickly all of the men look up, and when they see who exactly is standing behind them they get up and dust themselves off frantically, and then stand at attention stiffly, as if expecting to be reprimanded.

Jaclyn giggles, and says, "Never mind all of that formality. I'm just here to help with the fire."

One of the men steps forward, and Jaclyn grins with the realization that it's none other than Alf Mason, the man whom she had met earlier. "Hey Mason," she says with a grin. "Mind if I help?"

The older man smiles down at her, but shakes his head uncomfortably. "Beggin' yer pardon, miss, but I think it's best if ye wait over there. We don't want ye to burn yer hands trying to light a fire. 'Twouldn't be proper."

Jaclyn scowls at Mason, but the man simply stands irresolute, with the rest of the men behind him nodding their heads, saying, "Aye, miss, 'twouldn't be proper. Ye being a lady an' all."

Jaclyn scowls more deeply, recognizing chauvinists when she sees them. "Fine. If you can get that fire started in the next five minutes, I'll drop it. But if you can't you have to let me try."

The men stand firmly in place, not swayed. Suddenly, Jaclyn gets an idea. "I bet you the shirt on my back that I can get that fire started within five minutes."

The men leer at each other, for a moment forgetting that Jaclyn is, supposedly, the "captain's girl". One of the two men behind Mason steps forward with interest. "Ye mean to say that if ye can't start a fire in five minutes ye'll take off yer shirt?" He elbows his companions in the ribs. "I'd pay a pretty penny ta see that meself, lads. Whaddya say?" The second unnamed man readily agrees, and though Mason still seems wary of involving anyone favored by the Captain in a situation such as this, even he too stares at Jaclyn with some masculine curiosity.

Jaclyn crosses her arms over her chest and taps her foot, irritated. "Well, lads? I haven't got all day. It's either you say yes to this or I wait 'till you give up and light the fire for you anyway." She smirks. "Not much of a choice, is there?"

Mason, the last of the men to agree, finally nods reluctantly. "But none of this gets to the captain, ye hear? I'll have no rats scurryin' around behind me back tellin' the Cap'n I involved his girl in somethin' like this."

Jaclyn blushes at his comment, but decides to leave the crew's mistaken impression about her relationship with the Captain alone for now. She has a feeling it's the only thing keeping her safe at the moment. The two men behind Mason nod eagerly, still eyeing Jaclyn lasciviously, and Jaclyn grimaces.

_'I'd better get this over with quickly,'_ she thinks, and walks over to the fire pit. With some dismay she just sees one huge log in the circle of stones, without any sort of tinder of kindling to be found. She turns to the three men behind her reproachfully.

"You can't expect to make a fire with this, can you? You have to have smaller logs!" One of the men smirks and gestures to his partner.

"Well then, lass, ye better get to wood collectin'. 'Cause accordin' to Liam here, one of yer five minutes is already used up."

Jaclyn gasps angrily at their cheating, but then runs up the beach and into the woods as fast as she can. As she's gathering small twigs from the forest floor, she mourns the fact that her bra is still lying on the floor of her tent, and if she loses this bet she'll be left with nothing but skin to save her from three lewd pirates' stares.

As soon as she has enough wood, Jaclyn rushes back to the fire pit, dumping the twigs beside the stones and hefting the log out of the pit. Seeing the flint and steel left on the sand beside her, she snatches them up. Putting two thin pieces of wood on the ground inside the fire pit, Jaclyn frantically knocks the two stones together at a certain angle, creating a shower of sparks that sprinkle onto the wood and the surrounding sand.

Mason whistles, impressed, and Liam's friend stares in shock at Jaclyn. With a smirk she continues to rain sparks down on the twigs, and finally a curl of smoke drifts up from the middle of the pit. Without letting up her strikes, Jaclyn blows lightly on the sticks, praying. With a sound that's almost a sigh, a tiny flame flickers to life at the end of one of the twigs, and Jaclyn lets out a sigh of her own.

With new confidence, Jaclyn gently lays another small stick onto the fire, and as soon as that one lights she continues piling on more and more fuel until she has a merry little blaze going. With an air of smug satisfaction, she finally places the giant log into the middle of the blaze, where the sap-filled limb immediately lights.

Sitting back on her heels and wiping the sweat off of her forehead, Jaclyn looks up at the pirates expectantly. "Well?" She asks, hopefully.

Liam is simply staring down at the watch in his hands, openmouthed. "Done with a minute to spare," he croaks, and Mason gives a little shout of happiness, stepping up to Jaclyn and clapping her on the back, which temporarily knocks the wind out of her. As soon as she gets her breath back, however, she stands and laughs happily, and smiles as the man whose name she still doesn't know walks up to her.

With a friendly grin, he reaches out a hand to her, saying, "Sorry fer all the trouble, lass. I couldn't help it, ye know. It's in a pirate's nature ta take a bet whenever he sees a chance." When Jaclyn shakes his hand, though, he quickly twists her arm around her back, not enough to hurt, but just to show her that he's stronger.

"By the way, the name's Gentleman Starkey. Glad to make yer acquaintance." Jaclyn grins at the unspoken challenge that Starkey issued as soon as he grabbed her, and spins around to face him. With muscles that she spent years building, Jaclyn yanks Starkey onto the sand and kneels on the small of his back, pulling his arm behind his back and effectively pinning him to the ground.

She smiles impishly down at him as he turns to stare at her with shock. "Glad to make your acquaintance, Gentleman Starkey. I'm Jaclyn Cross, of the Jolly Roger."

Starkey blinks up at her, amazed, and then bursts out laughing. "Watch out fer this one lads! She's a devil, she is!"

Jaclyn laughs along with him, and then climbs off of him and helps him up. Mason and Liam both approach them and Mason slings an arm over Jaclyn's shoulders. "Well done, lass! I've never seen anyone get the better of Starkey before, and I've fought many a battle at his side!"

Jaclyn blushes modestly and says, "Well I did catch him by surprise so I can't take all the credit..."she grins at Starkey playfully. "...but it was pretty easy to pin you!"

"Why you little-" Starkey shouts, pretending to be angry, and Jaclyn ducks behind Mason as he lunges for her. Laughing wildly, Jaclyn runs away from Starkey as he chases her, with Mason cheering her on and Liam cheering for Starkey.

Finally Jaclyn gets tired, and when she slows down Starkey lunges, knocking them both to the ground and causing them to roll across the sand, laughing hysterically. Mason and Liam run up, looking worried, but relax at the carefree expressions on their friends' faces.

As Jaclyn stops laughing, she hears a low growl from her stomach. She grins sheepishly up at the men around her and says, "Sorry about that, lads. Is there anywhere we can go to get something to eat?"

The men look at each other nervously, silent, but finally Mason steps forward. "Well, there is the crew's galley that we set up yesterday, but some of them other lads may not take kindly to a lady in their place."

Jaclyn frowns. "I don't care. I'm hungry, I need food, and I'm going to get it wherever I feel like it. No man's gonna keep me from my meals." With this she leaps to her feet, striding back into camp with Mason and Liam at her heels pleading with her, and Starkey at her side with a grin on his face.

Starkey turns to Jaclyn with a grin on his face, and Jaclyn wonders exactly how old he is- or was, when he came to Neverland. He seems around twenty-eight or twenty-nine, but he has the mannerisms of a much more mature man. It's an almost unsettling combination. Suddenly she realizes that he's started talking, and she shakes herself out of her stupor. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

Starkey points at a large tent big enough for twenty men, and says, "There it is, lass. The crew's mess hall." Gallantly, he bows her inside with a sweep of his hand. "Find a seat and make yerself comfortable."


End file.
